The Festival

A city of the Rondéville Kingdom, Lunéville.

When this city was born anew as a grand inn town, the branch gained a newly constructed annex in anticipation of even more customers. The functions it housed were meant to specialize in cuisine and information exchange.

When all was said and done, it was a diner. On the second floor of that annex, a certain gathering was being held.

"So then, has everyone drawn their lots?"

Everyone, each grasping a piece of paper, nodded while looking on with very tense expressions.

The elf girl who worked on the branch's staff, Ilya, removed the cloth covering a display board behind her.

What was posted on the board was a rough sketch of the entire town with many figures on it. Various characters were written next to the figures, no two of them the same.

Their eyes practically devouring the display board, everyone glanced this way and that as they searched for their numbers.

"… Booyah! The yakisoba's mine!!"

After he threw his hands up to the sky as though in great delight, other voices trailed after him.

"Omelette franks!? Yay!"

"Goldfish scooping…? Whyyy…"

"O-okonomiyaki… I wonder if I can make it well?"

"Ta～i～ya～ki～!"

Quieting the cheers and bewildered voices with hand claps, Ilya gestured toward the cat beastperson girl standing beside her, Ria.

"I will now be handing you your manuals, so please line up over here."

Watching everyone line up in succession, Frank, who had approached Ilya as though relieved, let out a sigh.

"It looks like it somehow worked out, doesn't it."

"Yes."

"… You won't come with me after all?"

Even though she was meeting the gaze of Frank, the head of the guild association's Lunéville branch, Ilya shook her head. As this was his second time asking, he had already understood how she would respond, but Frank still couldn't hide his disappointment. Ilya smiled at him.

"Even if I went, I don't think anything would change, you know?"

"Well, that may be true, but…"

Frank was somehow unable to articulate himself.

The topic the two of them were discussing concerned a notification that had been sent to the branch manager the other day.

The notification's contents were: [As headquarters is holding a general meeting, all general managers as well as branch managers are to report to the guild association's headquarters.]

Although Frank had been to meetings at headquarters several times, this was the first time the meeting's purpose hadn't been clearly described.

That was why he had proposed that the clever and quick-witted Ilya accompany him, but she had curtly declined.

The headquarters' general meetings concerned practically all branch managers, and since they were given the authority to make decisions, attendance was non-negotiable. As long as the topic of conversation didn't escalate too much, it was common to come away without having said a single word.

However, his intuition seemed to tell him it would turn into something troublesome, and Ilya's intuition was telling her much the same. However—

(I don't want to get involved in anything troublesome.)

That was her main motive for refusing to go along.

"Just in case, if the topic looks as though it's going badly, please escape without overworking yourself, alright?"

"Don't say something so unsettling…"

Toward Frank, who was smiling wryly with his head drooped, Ilya gave him a smile that overflowed with spontaneity.

He'd probably realized that she was jesting.

Sensing his mood lighten, Frank let go of his wry smile as the atmosphere calmed.

"… May I butt in?"

Timidly, even though she was smirking, Cynthia spoke to them.

"Certainly?"

Ilya responded calmly nonetheless. Cynthia was taken aback at her response coming so easily, while Frank stood off to the side, averting his gaze, too embarrassed to say a word.

"… Ahem. Ummm, there's a quick question from the people who have received their manuals. What kind of cooking utensils should they use?"

"Understood. I'll explain."

Accompanied by Cynthia, Ilya went over to the crowd of people.

Left behind, Frank turned his gaze to the bulletin board. The first thing to catch his attention was the words 'Construction Completion Festival' written out in large letters.

Since all of the construction had been completed, they had decided to host a festival in commemoration.

It would run for two days; the goal was for people coming from other towns to stay the night after the first day to try out the inns at special prices.

When one thought of festivals, the first thing to come to mind were the stalls.

For the residents of Lunéville, even though they'd experienced things like harvest festivals, those were only on the scale of being held in the central plaza.

Because this festival's main purpose was to debut the brand new inns, its scale had inevitably grown considerably, so it was expected that the atmosphere would feel a little shabby unless plenty of booths were set up.

Their problem was that they didn't have enough stalls for a festival of this scale.

The solution that was suggested was for the branch to serve various kinds of dishes.

The privilege of serving the branch's cooking as street vendors.

The earlier lottery had been to decide the cuisines and to explain things to everyone. That was the scene that had developed thus far.

"Weeell, I thought you'd refuse at first, Branch Manager-sama."

Likely because he'd finished receiving his explanation, a man spoke complacently as he grinned at Frank.

"We don't particularly hide our recipes, after all. They aren't anything that significant."

"There you go being modest again! Gahaha!"

Frank smiled wryly at the cheerfully laughing man.

It was true that they didn't hide their recipes; in fact, the recipe book was being sold by the commerce guild.

The one who had brought the recipes to the commerce guild wasn't Ilya, who had adapted dishes from her previous life's world cuisine, but a fellow branch staff member named Clarice. Although she had received rudimentary lessons directly from Ilya, the recipes themselves were no different.

Even so, the recipes hadn't proven that popular, because once you factored in the cost of the required cooking equipment and all of the ingredients, they became fairly expensive.

On top of that, the flavor would change depending on who cooked it even with the same recipe, so there wasn't anyone who could make food the same as the Lunéville branch (especially the things made by Ilya).

For those reasons, Ilya had permitted opening the recipes to the public, disregarding the potential disadvantages that came with revealing them.

"Well then, that's all for today. We will practice the dishes another day. The schedule will depend on what kind of cooking is being done, so please check the schedule posted on the bulletin board."

With Ilya having declared the general explanations complete, the stall lottery successfully came to a close.

"Next is us, huh?"

The staff members nearby looked toward Ria, who had said that while sorting documents.

"How about we head back to the main building?"

Everyone nodded at Frank's suggestion, and those who had finished tidying up made their way out of the annex.

However, not everyone scattered once they returned. Cynthia and Ria walked back to the branch while matching each other's pace.

"Come to think of it, what kind of stall are we doing?"

Ria, who had handed out the manuals, probably knew which stall had been assigned to the branch's staff from whatever was left over.

"I don't know either, you know? There weren't any manuals left over."

"Eeeh!? What!?"

Surely the branch couldn't just not open a shop.

As Cynthia had been counting on getting free food under the pretense of sampling, or maybe some free sweets, she was struck by a feeling of despair.

"Iiiilyyyaaa～"

"Nn? What's wrong?"

Cynthia had run over to Ilya, who was walking with Frank ahead of them. Ilya looked back at her.

"What shop will the branch be doing!?"

"Hmm… I haven't actually decided yet."

"Eeeh～"

Having finally reached the branch while continuing that conversation, Ilya and the others avoided the front entrance, since it was crowded with people coming and going, and instead entered through the service door meant for staff. Everyone besides Frank then continued into the office.

"Ah, welcome back."

"Welcome back～"

The two staff in charge of office work, Desiree and Claude, welcomed them back. As Ilya and the others sat down on the sofa in the office, Desiree held out a box.

Cynthia and Ria tilted their heads in puzzlement. Ilya accepted the box, slid her hand into the hole on top, and when she pulled her hand back out, she was grasping a small ball.

There was nothing written on the ball. Ilya turned the box's hole toward the two girls, who were growing increasingly bewildered.

"Take one? … Ah, there's a one on it."

"A two for me."

"Then, Ria will look after the store on the first day, and Cynthia on the second day. Please?"

The two girls stopped in silence for a moment as they registered Ilya's casual request. Then—

"" Eeeh!? ""

When they understood what she meant, they let out baffled voices that resembled shrieks.

 

 

 

*

 

The following night.

It had been decided that Ria and Rachelle would mind the store on the first day of the Construction Completion Festival, with Cynthia and Clarice taking the second day. They had gathered in the branch's kitchen.

The purpose of this gathering was to decide on the dish they would serve at the stall, as well as to practice making it.

It was a little late to bring it up, but Ilya remembered her previous life.

She'd had a childhood friend, a girl who aimed to work as a pastry artisan.

After they'd graduated high school — even after the schools they commuted to had changed — they continued to meet up and complain to each other about job hunting.

Watching the scene unfold in front of her, Ilya recalled a particularly bad interview the girl had complained about.

The question had concerned what reason they had for liking their favorite cake. The other examinees had apparently said fastidious things like its origins or its virtues.

And then, when it was finally her turn to answer, she'd said:

—For me, I love chocolate. I love it because I feel happy when I eat it!

Well, that was probably a failure as far as interview questions are concerned.

(However…)

Ilya thought.

That was just the truth—

"Sweeeeet!"

With their fingers coated in the sweetness of the melted chocolate, the four girls grinned in satisfaction as they sucked them clean.

By rights, Ilya was in a position to scold them, but when she saw the four girls' enchanted expressions, she didn't have it in her to blame them.

"I put in the milk powder and it changed so much～"

Without any sugar or powdered milk, the chocolate had been bitter and sour, more like medicine than anything.

The bitterness was suppressed by mixing in sugar, and the taste became smoother by mixing in powdered milk, attaining an even softer sweetness.

Since using sugar in abundance made it expensive, even if the recipe spread through the commerce guild, it would still be too luxurious an item for ordinary families.

Although they'd been making things like crepes and parfaits at the branch so far, most people didn't actually know how they were made.

Swordplay, magic, blacksmithing, medicine…

In general, there were many technologies that were kept hidden. In a world where that was the norm, many people assumed they wouldn't be taught even if they asked.

The same went for Ilya's cooking — and by extension the branch's cooking — and there were plenty of cases where matters were simply settled with, 'It's something special.' Chocolate was one of those things as well.

"What will we use at the shop? There are crepes and parfaits, but crepes have been taken by someone else, and each parfait is pretty expensive… surely you wouldn't say we'll serve them as beverages or something?"

Even though many people would loosen their purse strings for the festival, there was still a limit on what the average person could afford.

Fully aware of people's financial circumstances, Ilya smiled and took some trays out of the refrigerator.

What leapt into the girls' field of view were foodstuffs like finely sliced fruits.

When the girls looked toward Ilya as if to ask what they were going to do with those, she held out a fork in front of the four girls and skewered some of the fruit. Then—

"Pierce them like this, then soak them in the chocolate…"

Following the movements of the fork with their eyes, the girls stared attentively as Ilya slowly brought the chocolate-covered fruit to her mouth, unconsciously swallowing as they watched.

"You all try it too. Let's decide together which ingredients to sell."

At Ilya's suggestion, the four girls joyfully took up their forks.

They hummed in satisfaction as they sampled the selection… and in the end, the five settled on bananas, cheese, and cookies.

The cheese had a slightly sweet, refined taste they could eat all day, and although they hesitated over the fruity banana, Ilya recommended they go for it anyway. As for the cookies, they were the most popular among the confections Ilya had prepared.

With their ingredients decided, all that was left was to decide how much to order.

The other people setting up stalls also had to order supplies; those with connections did it themselves while those without sent the branch a voucher.

By rights, people would worry about unsold goods and carefully examine the weather forecast to choose flavors based on the weather and temperature, but the girls would be borrowing cooking ingredients directly from the branch, so they were protected against going into the red.

Therefore, they stocked up on a somewhat large amount of goods. However—

 

 

 

*

 

"… Ueeeh～"

"Ria! Do your best not to tire out～!"

As though the snow didn't affect them at all, the people overflowing in Lunéville formed a long line toward the guild branch's stall.

While chocolate was generally considered expensive, anything both cheap and delicious naturally caught on in a flash.

With her eyes tearing up, a redheaded girl named Rachelle was scolding her partner, Ria, even as she somehow handled the surging guests that filled her field of view.

Meanwhile Ria was slicing ingredients, skewering them, and dipping them in chocolate before setting them on the rack that displayed their merchandise.

However, no matter how many they sold, the guests were unrelenting. Even though she kept making them over and over, they kept disappearing.

"Racheeelle～"

"Even if you say it like that, it's no use! Even I'm just barely handling this!"

"Iiilyaaa～"

Backed into a corner, Ria called out the name of a girl who wasn't there.

At that moment.

"You called?"

The reason Ilya appeared so quickly was, of course, no coincidence.

When she opened the lid of the tray she was carrying, baked cookie sticks were crammed together on it.

Their fragrant aroma spread the instant the lid opened, stimulating people's noses with a smell that didn't lose to the chocolate's sweetness. As a result, even more people were drawn over.

"Save me, Ilya!"

"Leave it to me!"

Catching Ria, who had jumped at her as though to cling on, Ilya broke into a smile that filled her entire face.

It wasn't anything like chivalrous spirit or a sense of justice; there was no mistaking that her prompt response was simply due to the pleasure of receiving Ria's embrace… or so it appeared. In truth, Ilya hadn't been assigned any branch work, so that she could jump in to help at any time.

Above all, she was a woman who possessed cheat abilities.

To be precise, she handled the customers — cheerful toward female customers, cold toward male ones — and cut the ingredients without a wasted movement, all while shaving the chocolate.

"… There. Don't slack off now."

"" Oka～y. ""

While scolding Ria and Rachelle, who had already started relaxing, she rotated in and gave them a bit of a break, holding off the surging guests.

Then, around the time the crowd started to thin.

A man showed up.

This human man had short green hair. His drowsy-looking eyes didn't seem to suit his stocky build, but a sharpness lurked within them that hinted at wariness.

For a moment it seemed the man couldn't decide which item to choose, glancing around the stall restlessly until his gaze came to rest on a single point.

"… Rachelle."

Despite his muttered tone, Rachelle, who was taking a break inside the stall, looked up sharply as if startled. When she saw the man, her expression changed to one of astonishment.

"Blair!?"

Standing up, Rachelle ran over to the man named Blair, who had stepped out of the queue. Seeing her, Blair smiled softly.

"What about your work!?"

"I came out since I'm on break."

"If you'd told me, we could've gone around together…"

"… What's wrong?"

Missing the latter part of her whispered protest, when Blair noticed the girl's shift in mood and asked what she meant, she just pouted a little and responded with a short, "It's nothing!"

The mood radiating from the two was, while not quite as much as the chocolate, somehow sweet.

 

 

 

 

" (Ilya, Ilya, I wonder why!? Right now I reeeeally want to leave!) "

" (Ria, that's just envy.) "

" (I know that, baka～!) "

Without bothering to stop Ria, who was reaching for their merchandise to console her bitter heart, Ilya distracted the customers' attention. She was handling them rather pleasantly.

Rachelle had started to talk with Blair a little after that, but just as her feelings settled, she began to feel gazes from the surroundings focused on them.

"" Jiii… ""

(Uuu…!)

In particular, she felt a sense of guilt under Ilya and Ria's gazes.

"Ah, umm… this is the first time I've properly met you two, isn't it? Umm, I'm Blair."

"… Blair works as Lord-sama's subordinate guard. Ilya-san should have spoken with him a few times by now, but you probably wouldn't recognize him since he always had his helmet on."

Now that Rachelle mentioned it, she could see her point. For Ilya, who wasn't interested in men to begin with, most of the men she committed to memory were people related to work.

For Rachelle's sake, Ilya thought it might be a good idea to remember his face just in case. Ria spoke in a quavering voice colored with surprise.

"Ilya-san, did you hear that!? When did that girl muscle her way into the winner's bracket!?"

"I heard, Ria-san. Rachelle…"

"" Is a dreadful child…! ""

"That sounds scary when you say it together!!"

"" Yay! ""

"Don't ignore me～!"

They weren't angry, just teasing her. The guilt Rachelle had felt had already vanished without her noticing.

Watching such a spectacle, Blair, who had been gripped by anxiety when he heard that his sweetheart was being saddled with a huge task for the branch at a festival stall, laughed at himself for his shallow thoughts.

"They are good people."

"W-well yeah… wait, but no being unfaithful, okay!?"

There was that kind of exchange as he parted from the girls, but as soon as he whispered something into her ear, Rachelle grew obedient like a meek cat and saw him off.

Although Ilya and Ria continued to tease her even after Blair had left, the smile never faded from Rachelle's face.

With the sky slowly sinking into jet-black darkness, just as the points of light called stars — not planets — began to twinkle, more people started coming with the intent of ordering dishes that paired well with liquor and the kind of cooking the branch was known for, instead of sweets. Time passed with a somewhat solemn ambiance. Had their idea of showing off the brand new town at special prices paid off? With their newly constructed inns packed to the brim with guests, the first day of the Construction Completion Festival could be called a major success.

 

 

 

*

 

And then it was the next day.

"Don't you think this is a little cruel?"

"Right…"

Now that it was the second day, the personnel attending the stall had been rotated.

It was just barely the time between breakfast and lunch after they had opened for the day. Cynthia and Clarice, who had been thrown into a busy situation from the start, had quickly requested help.

"I don't particularly mind, but…"

The one who couldn't help but answer that way was Ilya, who had just arrived carrying additional foodstuffs.

Customers had surged over to them as soon as they opened the stall, so they immediately needed to replenish their stock of ingredients.

They had been worried about running out of ingredients since so many had been used on the first day, so they decided to bring extra of the ones that had been particularly popular.

Since the second day's main attraction was a theatrical troupe in the central plaza, the stall clerks were all able to savor a little breathing room as the customer flow eased. It was the same for Ilya and the others' stall.

Ilya finished bringing in the additional foodstuffs, with Clarice preparing the ingredients and Cynthia standing at the front of the stall as the salesclerk.

Clarice exchanged some gossip with Ilya while tidying up after preparing every possible ingredient, but their topic shifted as she suddenly thought of something.

"By the way, Ilya-chan."

"What is it?"

"That powdered milk thing, it's amazing."

"Is that so?"

Even though the subject was somewhat slight, it was enough for the two to talk about.

Clarice faced Ilya at an angle that customers wouldn't be able to see, the corners of her mouth raising into a smile.

"Recently, there's been some loudmouth throwing their weight around, so I think it'll get quieter now. They seem to be getting a bit angry since it seems too good to be true. What do you think?"

"I don't know. I just want technology in general to improve through the spread of knowledge. I don't know about anything else, and I have no intention of meddling either."

"Really? Someone who casually discovers a technology that hadn't been known so far, then just casually gives it away for free by teaching it to everyone…"

"" Ufufufufu. ""

Special technologies.

Swordplay, magic, even metallurgy — without fail, people would appear who tried to steal them.

Sometimes as disciples, sometimes as business rivals… and sometimes, as spies.

Clarice, a birdkin branch staff member, was a secret agent sent by the commerce guild to investigate the Lunéville branch's cooking secrets that had become the talk of the town — a spy, in other words.

Naturally, her true identity had immediately come to light through Ilya's [God's Eyes], but she had tolerated it. As she'd just said, for her, technology wasn't something to be kept to oneself. It wasn't something to be monopolized, but to be shared with everyone. It was that conviction that pushed cultures forward.

Although Clarice had chosen to live as a resident of Lunéville after many twists and turns, she still used her position as a spy to leak only the cooking technology while keeping Ilya's involvement concealed.

This was both Ilya's wish and Clarice's. They both yearned for Lunéville's tranquility.

It was give and take.

"" Fufufufu. ""

Laughing today as well, they were mutually using each other's positions.

(T-those two's smiles feel scary somehow…)

Cynthia, who felt as though it was somehow dangerous, looked back and forth between the two. She decided to concentrate on serving customers, as though she hadn't seen anything.

"Excuse me, could I have two of each?"

"Ah, yes. I'll get them right now."

Putting six skewers into a paper cup, she handed them over to the young man in exchange for the price. Glancing around with a wry smile on his face, the young man had short red hair that stood out.

"Isn't it a little hard doing this alone?"

"Eh? No, I'm taking turns with two others."

"… Is that so? If you say so, then that must be how it is."

The youth, having spoken with a charming smile, disappeared back into the crowd as he left.

She didn't really understand what he was getting at there at the end, but when she glanced back at Ilya and Clarice, who were chatting away while working as usual, the two probably looked like they weren't focusing on their tasks.

(… Un, that's probably it!)

After all, she didn't even know what the two had been talking about while she'd been handling her turn in the rotation; she'd been so busy that she'd forgotten there had even been a conversation before she knew it.

She had forgotten, but it was to her benefit.

The fact that she had forgotten so many little things might have been her ignore skill kicking in.

At any rate, just like that, the Construction Completion Festival came to a successful close along with the branch's food stall.

Ria and the other clerks chatted with each other about events they had and hadn't been able to go see.

"Oh…? I… wasn't able to look around on either day of the festival…"

Everyone there averted their gaze when Ilya murmured those words.

"Pi?"

Feeling the change in the room's mood, Haku's innocent voice filled the silence.

 

 

 

*

 

At the same time, east of Lunéville. A man set foot in a Harville inn, the inn itself filled with a somewhat melancholy atmosphere.

"Nn? Guest, have you lost your way on the road?"

"No. I'll be staying overnight."

The smile the innkeeper returned to the man, who seemed sincere, was weak and tinged with bitterness.

"So you're curious too, then? Even though our inn fees were reduced by Lord-sama's order, there's nothing we can do but watch the guests leave."

Harville was an inn town that had developed to connect the road between Pinéaville and the royal capital.

But now, due to the new threat called Lunéville that had leapt into prominence, its vitality was being completely drained away.

(… It might already be completely gone.)

Looking at the town's atmosphere, that wasn't an unreasonable thought.

Vitality, cuisine, public order, culture… as the number of people increases, it's natural for civilization to advance.

Considering those things, it was easy to imagine that Lunéville would take the leading role in the country called Rondéville.

(That's exactly why it's being targeted.)

The man paid the innkeeper the fees, which were expensive compared to Lunéville, and went to bed.

(Invading by taking advantage of the open event known as its festival. Sneaking in as part of the influx of new citizens. Or possibly, by other means…)

The man ridiculed himself before his speculation could even reach a conclusion — his actions would be obstructed no matter what he thought up. He abandoned the idea.

As his consciousness drifted away into sleep, he felt as though a sweetness leaving a faintly bitter aftertaste still lingered in his mouth.

 

 

 

*

 

With the festival's traces still lingering, branch manager Frank set out for Gilderport, the country where the association's headquarters was located.

Although everyone harbored some worry over his journey, with the managerial position about to be empty, they were somewhat restless with a mix of anxiety and anticipation toward the person being sent from association headquarters to assume the long-vacant seat of vice branch manager.

By rights, the person should have handled transfer procedures and the like before the branch manager left, but he arrived three days after Frank had departed.

The reason was likely the snowfall, so the staff didn't hold that against him. However…

"I truly despise being transferred to such a backwater as this."

With those words, all but inaudible against the still-falling snow, the staff members' expressions stiffened.

But as though not noticing their expressions at all, the man's mouth curved into a loose arc as he continued to speak.

"Even so. Since I am such a dutiful staff member of the guild association, I will do my job without cutting any corners."

Sharply changing his demeanor in a single breath, the man turned toward the branch's staff members as if looking down on them, sweeping his gaze over each one.

"Carelessness, abuse of authority, mixing work and private matters. These are all absolutely unacceptable. I will dismiss anyone who does them without mercy, so you would all do well to pay careful attention."

Then, as though there were nothing more to say, the man turned and left the office.

Unable to find anything to say to the man who left, the staff members could do nothing but see him off. [New Branch Vice Manager Arriving] was written on the schedule, but they felt as though they were just now sensing the gravity of those words.

By the time the branch staff were able to move again, at least ten seconds had passed since the man's departure.

"W-why, that guy…"

The one who said that was Bard, a black panther beastkin, his indignation breaking through his bewilderment.

Unable to articulate it despite agreeing with him, Claude smiled bitterly and drew everyone's attention with a loud clap.

"There is nothing in particular to report from the office, but is there anything from reception, the dining hall, or the kitchen?"

"No, nothing in particular."

Nodding to Ilya, who had caught his gaze and responded, Claude continued with the same bitter expression.

"Morning assembly adjourned! Do your best today as well!"

That they could pull themselves together and start their work was likely thanks to the experience they'd built up in the industry.

Just when the earlier bewilderment began to settle, it happened.

"This branch, why do you wear these uniforms?"

"Fugyaaah!"

The entire dining hall's gazes converged on Ria's slightly uncute shriek.

The branch vice manager had shown up at the counter and, with a gaze that did not conceal his disdain in the least, gripped and lifted her skirt.

It wasn't that he was interested in what was under her skirt, but pushing back against something like that was only natural.

"W-what are you thinking!? Lecher! Are you a pervert!?"

"Wearing something that shows this much is more perverted."

Met with Ria's teary-eyed protest, the branch vice manager responded in scorn.

"W-w-what!? Aren't there plenty of people who wear more revealing clothes than this!?"

"Nn? Is that so? I had no idea that beastkin preferred being so close to nude. Kuku."

"Whyaat…!"

Ignoring Ria's anger, the branch vice manager spared her one last brief glance and left the counter with a sneer.

The thoughts of the people nearby were varied.

"… Umm, Ria."

"… … What."

At her lowered, emotionless voice, Bard reflexively took a step back.

His past experience told him that Ria was the type to express her anger immediately, but since her attitude now seemed to be the opposite of that, he didn't know how to respond.

"… Just, I think, it suits you… yeah?"

"Because the uniform shows a lot?"

"N-not tha—"

In the next moment.

"Ah, mou!"

Ria suddenly looked up away from the counter and raised her voice before making a small bow towards Bard.

"Sorry. I was venting at you."

"N-no, it's that branch vice manager that's in the wrong."

"He's the worst! Ah, sorry, here please～"

Noticing someone waiting for a commission registration without coming closer, Ria called out cheerfully.

From the side it looked like her usual cheerful smile, so Bard was somewhat relieved.

"… Thank you."

He turned toward the whisper-like voice, but the girl had already started serving guests and was no longer talking. Bard himself followed suit and got back to serving guests.

However, problems kept popping up one after another.

 

 

On the afternoon of a certain day.

Ilya, who had stepped out for receptionist affairs, saw the branch vice manager wearing a vulgar smile that bordered on a smirk.

"Oh hoh, hello there Elf-sama. Looking beautiful today as well."

"Hah…"

(The branch vice manager is seaweed as usual, isn't he.)

Ilya retaliated in her mind.

Likely due to snow falling on his wavy hair when he walked outside, the snow that melted from the room's heat wet his hair and made his usual hairstyle look all the more like seaweed.

And because of that, it seemed that his maliciousness increased as well.

"Living among people who are beneath you must be comfortable."

"Is that how you see it?"

He merely smiled back at Ilya's expression, which neither denied nor affirmed anything.

Although she shouldn't have been giving off anything like intimidation or coercion, the branch vice manager wasn't able to respond. On top of that, every person in the dining hall was throwing dangerous glances his way, so he hesitated to react.

With new guild members showing up in the meantime, the branch vice manager, having completely lost his chance to respond, clicked his tongue and left the dining hall.

"Ilya-chan, today's been a disaster, huh."

Returning a smile to the man who knit his brows while slowly sipping some warm sake, Ilya resumed her usual work.

The dining hall returned to its lively bustle after the branch vice manager left. Since that year had been colder than normal because of the snowfall, even more people than usual were gathering to warm themselves with the hearth, alcohol, and food.

(… I don't understand.)

Later, after she finished her work, Ilya tilted her head in thought while gently petting Haku, who was fawning for attention.

What she was puzzled over was the branch vice manager's conduct.

If he was using the office on the third floor in the branch manager's stead, he had plenty of chances to be sarcastic toward Ilya without having to make a point of coming to the counter to do so.

And yet, whether it was being so blunt in front of everyone or wrapping up his statements as if on a whim, she couldn't understand his behavior.

If there was a reason for him to deliberately make enemies, then the possibility that his aim was to incite hostility was high. Since she could also see him physically strengthening himself with magic, that would be neatly explained by his being prepared for the one-in-a-thousand chance of a collision.

It would be easy to come up with a reason to remove someone who acted hostile. Or perhaps he was trying to drive people into quitting on their own.

(… Hmm.)

There wasn't enough information for her to pin anything down precisely. Looking at Haku, who was squinting in contentment, she figured nothing could be done by thinking about it now and decided to set it aside for the time being.

"Antagonizing Ilya? That guy's dumb."

"Wasn't he kinda like that other one? The guy who came before."

"Ah, that human supremacist guy?"

"Yeah, that one."

That sort of conversation went on in the dining hall, lingering in Ilya's ears.

And then she had a thought.

(Just what do they think of me…)

"Pi?"

"It's nothing～"

Haku looked up at Ilya, probably because she'd noticed the change in pressure from her hand. She smiled and resumed petting her gently.

 

 

 

*

 

Several weeks had passed since the Construction Completion Festival.

Although the town was bustling more than before, it was settling back down in some areas.

The guild branch in particular was flourishing as ever, with even the terrace — which had been a temporary installation to allow for more seating — having gained a proper roof before anyone realized it. Due to the weather, it too had been filled to capacity.

As a downside, groups of men were continuing to clear away the snowfall even now. Some were complaining that it might have been a little too soon to add a proper terrace.

However, compared to the dissatisfaction currently filling the branch, things like those were minor problems.

"Welcome…"

At the reception desk, Rachelle wore a formal, fixed smile.

It was the same for Elizah and the others moving about the dining hall; everyone had a somewhat gloomy air about them.

Sympathizing with them, Ilya looked out the window and let out a small sigh.

"Ilya-chan, I'd like to accept this commission."

The small birdkin standing on the other side of the counter was Polo, a commerce guild delivery member.

He held a commission chart out across the counter. It wasn't a subjugation or collection type, but a letter delivery.

Letters and documents that weren't sent through the regular service generally all had important contents, so naturally they came with restrictions: the commission required a rank of B or higher and a guild member with high dependability.

Polo, for example, was an A-rank delivery member with a high level [Flight] skill, and his personality was no problem at all.

"Understood. Then, please present your registration card."

"Here you go."

Accepting his registration card, she began to register the commission.

"Ilya-chan, how is Bakht Province doing recently?"

By "how is it doing," she understood that he was asking about its magic source. The two of them were acquaintances.

Bakht Province, located beyond the royal capital from where they were in Lunéville, sat to the north of the world tree — close enough that it was heavily influenced by its fluctuations. The fluctuations in magic source there were incessant.

Because magic source fluctuations were directly tied to the stimulation of monsters, it was natural for Polo, whose combat capability was low, to worry about them. He had probably made it to the peak of A-rank thanks to his reliable personality. While thinking about such things, Ilya looked out the window as if unconcerned.

"I think they're alright. There haven't been any rush orders coming in."

The answer the girl gave when she turned back to him was very vague.

If a third party had been listening in on their conversation, it certainly wouldn't have sounded as though the two were discussing something related to life and death. Polo nodded in satisfaction.

"That's good then."

Faced with his reaction of perfectly believing her, Ilya couldn't help feeling complicated about it.

In cases where an increased amount of magic source stimulated more monsters and caused an outbreak targeting populated areas, a messenger would be dispatched to each branch, and the branches were obligated to alert their guild members.

Even so, the warning could come too late. The possibility of the messenger setting out too late wasn't zero.

She could check things herself with [Clairvoyance], so although she could draw her own conclusions, she would always add something like 'perhaps' when she relayed them to others.

When the words of a branch staff member couldn't be treated as absolute, they had to make sure the other person knew that.

"Please don't be so trusting…"

"I understand. To begin with, I wouldn't trust anyone but Ilya-chan."

Polo shrugged and smiled wryly, but Ilya's worries weren't dispelled.

Having been her acquaintance for so long, Polo placed quite a lot of trust in her words, treating them as omens. Whenever she had to think about what to say to someone like that, she would deliberately investigate too.

And as a result, there were plenty of excessive things she would discover.

"However, since I haven't heard any good rumors around the world tree recently, I think it might be better to not get too close to it."

"That so? Then maybe a little detour…"

Having succeeded in steering him away, Ilya was secretly relieved.

When she had looked away a moment earlier, she had seen a large male eagle that resided at the world tree. It had the trait of becoming aggressive during its incubation period. With that eagle's massive, ogre-like build, the small Polo would likely be swallowed whole.

Though he was able to stay away from visible danger, her intuition told her it would be dangerous for him.

She waited for the registration to complete while keeping her composure, but the light's color hadn't changed.

(High rank commissions have a longer investigation time, don't they?)

As she let her mind wander on that thought, the light changed to blue.

"The registration is complete. Here is the commission proprietor's address. Since the letter will be delivered directly to the commission proprietor, please use it… I'll be praying for your safety."

"Alright, thanks. See you later."

"Take care."

Facing Polo's back as he headed toward the doorway, she bowed.

Confirming that no one else was bowing along with her, Ilya let out a small sigh.

(If only everyone was as polite as that guy…)

Guild members' daily lives were far removed from living in cleanliness, so it was no wonder their manners would coarsen as well.

Even though she understood that, Ilya couldn't help but lament whenever she saw someone like Polo.

After taking a breath to collect herself, Ilya followed the gaze she'd been feeling on her since a moment before. Her eyes fell on Rachelle, who was standing next to her at the counter.

"Ilya… if you give that much advice, won't that annoying guy come and…?"

She gestured pointedly with her eyes. Seeing Rachelle whisper in a fed-up voice, Ilya smiled bitterly.

"It's alright. He isn't in the branch right now."

"… Really?"

"Un."

Rachelle sighed deeply after Ilya's affirmation.

"… Ahh mou, I really don't like him! Why did a branch vice manager like him have to come here!?"

"Pii!?"

"Oh, Haku, I'm sorry."

Haku was surprised by Rachelle's sudden shout, so she pet her to soothe her.

Haku was friendly to everyone other than the dragon god, who was her parent, so she accepted the affection happily. It turned into something like animal therapy for Rachelle; she slowly began to smile.

"… Haku hates guys like that too, doesn't she～"

"Pii?"

"Ilya, you're very patient."

"He makes me angry too, you know?"

Since he had lost his temper when his first sarcastic remark didn't land, it seemed she'd hidden it well. She figured she'd become his first opponent.

"Right～… I wish he'd just go and—"

"Rachelle."

Interrupting the girl's sentence, Ilya looked ahead of the reception area.

Understanding immediately, Rachelle pulled a disgusted face.

The one who had strode in through the front entrance in such an extravagant manner was the man who had, in just a few short weeks, become well known for his ready use of trickery and malice.

The branch vice manager.

When he stepped up to the counter with his usual vulgar smile, he looked between Ilya and Rachelle, then turned to Rachelle and opened his mouth.

"Rachelle, Lord-dono is calling you. Head to his mansion immediately."

"Eh? Not Ilya, but me?"

"He certainly mentioned Ilya's name, but it's all the same as long as it's a receptionist, isn't it? Or does the meeting with the lord have to be with the elf?"

The people who heard his racist remark just barely held themselves back, and though the dining hall's atmosphere tensed, the man himself seemed to take no notice as usual.

If anything, his smile deepened. He continued speaking to the perplexed Rachelle.

"What, you have a very womanly body. It will satisfy Lord-dono."

As expected, unable to hold back her discomfort, Rachelle glared at the man standing in front of her with a chilling gaze.

"… I am in the middle of receptionist duties."

"It doesn't matter. Delaying a few commission registrations won't be any great loss. I'll go there after stopping by my house for a moment. I'll be heading off first."

Ordering her in a way that suggested he didn't care about her glare at all, the branch vice manager turned and left the branch.

It goes without saying that Rachelle lost her temper. She snapped at Ilya with full force, thrusting her finger out toward the entrance.

"That guy is abusing his authority!!"

"He is. He is the worst."

"Really! Ahh mou, why isn't Frank-san here at a time like thiiis!?"

"Pii!"

Even Haku shouted with her.

At a time like this, Frank, who would otherwise have served as a deterrent, was on his way to the general meeting at headquarters. There were no signs of him returning yet.

"Aww… it's too much…"

"It's alright. Hector-san probably knows about what's going on, he'll support you."

"Un… that's right…"

Ilya calmed Rachelle down and asked Elizah and Cynthia, who were in the dining hall, to go with her just in case.

As for her, she wanted to tell him to not belittle the reception desk now that the amount of commissions was different from before.

Now that Lunéville had begun to function as an inn town, with the commerce guild aiming for guild members who would stay overnight and the industry guild's numbers also increasing, the town's population was steadily rising.

In turn, the number of monsters was increasing in proportion to the number of people, so the number of subjugation commissions was definitely going up as well.

(… I miss the leisurely old days.)

Pushing her complaint to the corner of her mind, Ilya tended to the reception desk.

 

 

 

*

 

Snow continued to fall against the windows in Lunéville even now.

In an inn room, a man crossed his arms and knit his brows in thought.

His goal had been to provoke and stand out in various ways, and he had even been able to obtain various pieces of evidence.

However, all of it was minor. None of the information was anything that could serve as solid evidence; the closer he approached, the more it felt like trying to grasp a cloud with his bare hands.

What the man wanted was nothing but a solid fact.

From his past experience, plenty of people whose character could only be called black had turned out to be white, while plenty of people whose conduct seemed pure white had turned out to be pitch-black underneath.

It would be easy if such people showed their true colors, but since they didn't, that was precisely the reason this man had been sent.

"… Haah."

His unintentional sigh didn't fog the air, so he felt thankful for the room's warmth as he recalled the prolonged cold outside.

In contrast, outside the window were two young boys — one human, one beastkin — being chased by a young beastkin girl while their breath puffed out white. A young human girl was running after the three of them.

They were all smiling.

The scene overlapped with circumstances he himself had once been in, and the man found a smile slipping onto his face without realizing it.

There was something he had to do.

The man recalled his decision and steeled himself, cracking the whip on his flagging will. He stood up and reached for his jacket.

 

 

 

*

 

A few days later. When snow that had been piling up was being removed at a faster rate than it fell, the dissatisfaction that  was accumulating in the branch had finally reached the point of eruption.

"Ilya, it's alright to kill that guy, right?"

"Please don't say something so dangerous, Bard-san."

Considering his background, she didn't take it as a joke.

Likely still afraid of Ilya, Bard fell silent as though sulking. To compensate, a voice came from across the counter.

"But ya know, no one who sees that guy thinks he's any good."

"No one supports him — shouldn't everyone just go on strike?"

Hearing that voice coming from one of the counter seats, people in the dining hall spoke up in agreement and approval.

"… Everyone has been made to have an unpleasant time as well. I am sorry."

"Ilya doesn't have to apologize!"

"Yeah, yeah! It's that bastard's fault!"

"… Well, the reason we can't work in this weather is part of why we're here with our anger built up!"

Ilya had her doubts about that.

They didn't have much persuasive power saying that; they were regulars who had been spending all their time here even before. Their gallantry from the ice dragon subjugation was nowhere to be seen, as though it had been blown away by its breath.

Even so, it had only been at the beginning that they were able to stay in high spirits over the unfamiliar snow. The gradual buildup of stress from it limiting their actions was real.

(I wonder… is there anything we can do to relieve some stress…)

As she was lost in thought, men bundled in two or three layers of clothing for protection against the cold could be seen entering the branch.

Although most of them drew close to the fire stone heater to warm up, Darren, a beastkin who was part of the branch's staff, headed toward Ilya.

"Ilya, the roof snow's shoveling has been completed. I confirmed it."

"Alright, thank you for verifying the work."

The roofs of Lunéville's traditional housing were flat in order to make use of the little rainfall, unlike slanted roofs designed with snowfall in mind.

Setting aside the more recently built, sturdier buildings, the older ones' roofs were aged and worn, so the danger of them collapsing under the snow's weight was high.

Even though there was a pressing need to clear away the snowfall, they couldn't afford to squander their already insufficient fire elements at the best of times, and magic wasn't versatile enough to be finely tuned for that either. With the guards already having their hands full plowing snow from the streets, the lord couldn't stand the situation any longer and put out a snow plowing commission to the guild.

(… Snow, huh?)

With a few memories tied to that word, Ilya greeted Darren, who was carefully brushing snow off himself.

"Darren-san, what was done with the snow you cleared off?"

"The snow we cleared? Entrances and streets were avoided… why, were there any designated areas?"

"No, it's nothing."

The answer that came back was that nothing in particular had been done with it, but that was a convenient answer for her.

After finishing the procedure of closing out the commission, Ilya went to see Hector during her break.

Ilya headed down the street wearing a pea coat so as not to look out of place in town. Although the snow plowing was complete, people unaccustomed to the snow still couldn't walk too easily through the ankle-high cover. Carrying Haku and watching out for the depth of the snow as she made her way to the lord's mansion, she managed to get there without being spotted by the branch vice manager. That wasn't a coincidence, of course; it was thanks to her using skills like [Presence Inference].

Admitted inside without any trouble despite the suddenness of her visit, she met Hector in the parlor.

"It feels like it's been a long time since we last saw each other, Ilya."

"Yes. It's been a little troublesome."

Lately they'd only been able to communicate through documents, so the topic naturally flowed in that direction.

When she cut straight to the point and presented him with a certain opportunity, since she couldn't stay long, Hector gave her a puzzled look.

"Your plans seem to be well thought out, and I don't mind lending my name either, but… will you be providing the reward yourself?"

"Yes. I designed it, after all."

"You can take some of it out of the budget, you know. I'm not unrelated as the lord, and there's even the possibility of a return if it goes well, right?"

Ilya agreed.

However, a paradoxical addition came from her mouth.

"Even so, I can't predict the reaction without actually trying it. On top of that, this may be the last chance."

"… That's also true."

Even so, although Hector admitted it, he immediately shook his head.

"No, that won't do. I'll put up the reward."

"But…"

"Don't worry about it. I'm not putting up the reward as the lord, but as myself, an individual."

After that, although the two talked a little more, Hector would not back down on his financial backing.

This was Hector's obstinacy that Frank had spoken of.

Realizing just how right those words had been, Ilya could do nothing but smile wryly.

 

 

 

*

 

Drawing up the commission chart that same day, she stuck it on the bulletin board. Several people who saw it couldn't quite believe it and let out perplexed voices. The crowds reacted as though hooked.

"Ilya-chan, this commission from Lord-sama… what is it?"

Hearing the question that everyone nearby was wondering about, they all looked toward her too.

Finally getting the question, Ilya smiled and answered.

"By participating, you'll be competing to make a monument using snow."

The entry requirements were wide open: men and women of all ages in Lunéville could join, regardless of guild. They could register in groups of ten or fewer and would be assigned an area in which to build their monument. There were no limits on what could be depicted, but sabotage would come with a fine. Rules such as coming and going between sections would be set later. The top three participants would be given a prize.

To put it in Japanese terms—

"It's a snow festival."

Scenes of an event from another world flickered through her mind.

Although people looked a little confused when she first said what it was, they put their names down as soon as they understood. The following day saw the reception area packed full of people, to the point that reception had to be temporarily moved to the second floor's private room.

However, even though things should have settled down after that, it was a hassle having to explain to the occasional latecomer who came to inquire about it.

But there was also trouble on the service side as well.

"What is the meaning of this…!"

"What do you mean?"

In the parlor on the third floor, Ilya was being subjected to the branch vice manager's questioning.

His eyebrows were knit together so tightly one might wonder if they were connected. With his temple twitching, it was obvious that his level of resentment was no ordinary thing.

"Don't play dumb!"

The branch vice manager struck the window frame.

Beyond that window, the citizens were in a frenzy… but they looked as though they were enjoying themselves. They were building snow sculptures.

"Staff members cannot put out a commission that would paralyze the town's functions and involve every single citizen!"

"I understand. However, this commission was issued under Lord-sama's name. The participants were required to complete their personal duties beforehand as well; they consented that there would be penalties, and the construction is also progressing as planned through overtime hours worked in advance."

Thinking that his objection was a little surprising, Ilya delivered the words she had prepared beforehand.

She hadn't meant to deliberately add to the troublesome things on her plate, but it would have been careless not to anticipate something on this level happening.

"Sophistry!"

"He will assume the responsibility as well. Still, I would like you to wait and see whether any problems occur."

Anything she said was likely to be wasted. Judging that, Ilya decided to push the situation toward a concession.

That said, even if he wasn't pleased with that, he ought to be satisfied with the statement that responsibility would be taken.

Even if his real intention was about something from before, since the project had already begun under Hector's name, Ilya felt the branch vice manager had no choice but to accept the proposal.

"Gunu…"

However, it looked as though he really didn't want to accept what she said. He groaned, seemingly unwilling to back down.

(Won't he just hurry up and give in～)

It was just as she was thinking something like that.

"I'm coming in!"

"G-guest, please—!"

The one who appeared through the door immediately after knocking—

"Long time no see, Ilya."

was a boy with horns coming from under his long red hair.

"Why are you lowering your head to a guy like that!"

There was a small person with butterfly-like wings sprouting from her back perched on his shoulder… a fairy.

 

 

 

 

Unable to stop the two, Cynthia looked at Ilya on the verge of tears. For now, Ilya took over with a nod to her.

Paying no mind to Cynthia, who had cheerfully withdrawn with a bow, the boy and fairy walked into the parlor.

The moment the fairy looked between Ilya and the branch vice manager, she sighed as though losing interest and turned back to Ilya. Still standing on the boy's shoulder, she spoke with her finger pointed out.

"We have come to help with the ice dragon's subjugation! Thank us, Ilya-ane!"

Without even noticing that Ilya was unable to respond properly, she continued with a boastful coo.

The horned youth and the fairy were Ilya's friends.

The fairy's name was Pasha.

She had so much power that, were it not for the curse, she would become a fairiel, a superior species of fairy. Of course, since she was also fraught with worry that her power might spontaneously discharge and run out of control if she didn't ascend to that superior species, it could be inferred that she held an abnormal level of power.

The other was no less notable. Gabriel was part of the demon god's family, one of the three pillars of gods alongside the dragon god.

"… Ilya, are these two your—!"

Before he could finish his sentence, a silvery-white sword thrust up from the floor, stopping just before his neck.

Frozen in place, a small boy the size of a stuffed animal appeared in front of him, having slowly risen from the floor along with the sword.

Unlike Pasha, he had no wings, but instead wore a folded pointy hat and sported a long beard.

[Your rudeness towards Miko-sama shall be compensated with your death.]

"!?"

The child's voice didn't reach the branch vice manager; it only registered to his ears as natural vibrations in the air.

(Thank goodness—!!)

On the other hand, Ilya, who had clearly heard the statement and didn't change her expression, was crying out in relief in her mind.

That he was someone without the aptitude to hear the voice was fortunate right now.

Having finished making his threat, he couldn't be expected to leave it at that on his own. Ilya shook her head at Gabriel, indirectly saying that it was unnecessary.

"Gnome. It looks like Ilya doesn't mind it, lower your sword."

[But.]

The boy quickly looked at Ilya, who nodded back at him.

[… Understood. I apologize for acting presumptuously.]

As he spoke in embarrassment, the sword vanished along with the small person, as though melting into the floor.

His name was Gnome.

A great spirit, the highest-ranked earth spirit.

Although his personality was usually open-minded, Ilya and gems were the two things he would never bend on. With him backing down obediently, Ilya placed her hand on her chest in relief that the worst case had been avoided.

Being the master of this great spirit was just another thing that made Gabriel worthy of special mention.

In addition to being a fearsome swordsman who removed the limits on his body's physical abilities through his demon elements, Gabriel was also a contractor of a great spirit who could freely manipulate earth elements.

On top of that, he always acted lackadaisically, innocently waving his hand at Ilya with cheeks loosened in a smile whenever their eyes met.

If the contractor hadn't had a personality like that, one or two countries might have already been ruined.

With these two's cooperation secured, it was easy to imagine that they could forcibly subjugate the ice dragon even without a plan. That was, of course, if they actually had a chance to use their power.

"You know, Pasha."

"?"

"The ice dragon was already subjugated."

When she was told that in an apologetic tone, Pasha's face froze.

Contrasting the frozen girl, Gabriel showed a carefree smile.

"Didn't I say so? When we heard the rumor it was already so old it was probably already taken care of."

Attacking her companion, the cute fairy pulled Gabriel's cheeks with a face that looked like she wanted to cry.

"S-so it's my fault!? Didn't Gab-kun also say he wanted to be helpful to Ilya Onee-chan!?"

"Yep, I did say that! I'm definitely a little sad about it, but I'm happy that it's over with nothing dangerous happening to Pasha."

"Ah, u… un…"

Pasha blushed at Gabriel's smile, filling the room's air with swee～tness.

(Same as ever～…)

As she looked at the fairy and youth, whose closeness seemed unchanged, with a wry smile, she noticed that the two had stopped talking.

In contrast to Gabriel's ever-calm expression, Pasha's face had turned as red as a mini tomato, her mouth only able to open and close.

It would take a while for Pasha to recover. Concluding as much from past experience, Ilya decided to speak to Gabriel.

"I'm sorry, but right now I am having an important conversation with the branch vice manager, so could you please wait a little while longer?"

"Yep, got it."

Having gotten his agreement, Ilya finished up the business with them faster than she would have otherwise and turned back to the branch vice manager.

"… What is the aim."

He spat out the words as though they strained him.

It was as though he feared a kind of character he didn't know, his expression stiff.

"What is the aim this time."

Ilya considered the meaning of his words.

If someone who had only known of her reputation before coming to Lunéville was connected to an organization or another person that was hostile toward her, they would most likely assume that she was plotting something.

(… But I haven't met him before?)

She tried to remember him, but she hadn't seen the branch vice manager's face outside of Lunéville.

So Ilya decided to be businesslike.

"It seems as though Hector-san has three goals."

Although the branch vice manager looked strongly bewildered, Ilya continued speaking without backing down.

Speaking deliberately as if guessing, she didn't forget to emphasize that the event had been proposed by Lord-sama.

"First, to use a commission to openly clear the snow. Next, to let the citizens vent the stress that has built up because of the snowfall. And finally… although this effect can't be counted on, to attract visitors by adding snow sculptures."

It was obvious from the branch vice manager's expression that it wasn't the answer he had expected.

However, he hadn't intended to debate her from the start.

"When you consider those three points, it should be clear that there are few advantages in withdrawing this commission… Of course, if you have an idea that would serve those three points better, I would recommend bringing it to Lord-sama to replace it."

"—…"

No response. He could neither refute nor correct her. At this point, there was nothing left to discuss.

"Then, I apologize, but I must be going. There are guests waiting for me."

When she bowed and headed to the door, Gabriel and Pasha naturally turned to follow.

Nodding with a serious face before returning to a smile, Gabriel also turned to the door and left through it.

Pasha, however, turned back to face the branch vice manager.

"You."

"!?"

Not expecting to be addressed, he was startled.

Pasha, gazing at him with a perfectly innocent smile — spoke.

"If this is hurting you, why don't you stop?"

"Wha—…!?"

Satisfied with just that, Pasha moved from Gabriel's shoulder to Ilya's.

"Ilya-ane, you're tangled up in trouble as usual, huh."

She whispered that into her ear.

The shocking sentence was wholly unexpected, but it was vexing that she couldn't deny it.

 

 

 

*

 

Fairies.

This race, originally called fairiel welvats, grew to be no larger than the size of someone's palm at most.

Although they shared the same ancestors as the elves — also known as fairiel falverihi — the cause of their stark difference in appearance was a kind of curse.

Only the elves, despite the diminishing amount of god elements in their long genetic history, had been granted perpetual youth and longevity by the gods through their endeavor to safeguard their knowledge of the crystal pillars' protection and the gods themselves, maintaining their mystique.

By comparison, the fairies' ancestors had been going around stirring people up however they pleased, and the people of that time blamed them for disturbing the world's peace.

They were stripped of all their god elements and, so that their bodies would weaken and become unable to mate with other species, received a curse that shrank the size of their bodies.

The [Spirit] character in 'fairy' had been taken from [Deceased Spirit] because their dispositions were similar, but that was unrelated to the fact that fairies also possessed [Spirit Sight], which was compatible with the low-rank [Mind Reading]. [Spirit Sight] was a skill that could read the mind and feelings of the person the owner was looking at. Pasha, who also held the [Observation] skill, very likely understood what the branch vice manager was thinking.

Although Ilya was considering all that, in order to avoid using those skills herself, she decided to hear the detailed account from Pasha later.

"Ilya-ane's hiding her claws again isn't she."

"Don't say something so scandalous."

Smiling wryly at Pasha's teasing, Ilya held out a small cup of black tea she had prepared for her.

Although they had planned to talk in Ilya's private room, since it was time for her to head to the reception desk, she guided them to the counter's guest seats instead.

"But really, I didn't expect for the ice dragon to be defeated～"

Pasha laid face-down on the table.

"Didn't you think it was weird when you saw people in the town?"

"Nnn, I thought they went mad."

She said something that extreme so easily, but Ilya didn't think she was too wrong.

"But really."

Pasha sat up and looked around the room, abruptly shifting topics.

"Even though this branch is so huge, there's no one here!"

"You're right. Even though I'd heard rumors of it always being packed…"

The only guests in the first floor's dining hall were Pasha and Gabriel, so Ilya couldn't do anything but smile wryly.

As for Cynthia, who should have been at the reception desk with her, she had told the branch vice manager that she was going home because she felt ill, but was actually diligently hard at work making snow sculptures in front of the branch.

On top of that, all the people from the dining hall were out in the courtyard.

"Mine's tail is thinner than yours!"

"Bard-kun, it'd look so much cuter if you did it like this—"

While chattering and making noise this way and that, the staff were throwing themselves into making their snow sculptures.

If someone were to see only this scene, it would look exactly like a shop on the verge of collapse.

"Have you two eaten already?

Hearing her abrupt question, the two answered while tilting their heads in sync.

"No, not yet."

"Come to think of it, I heard the cooking here was good… but my my… it doesn't look like I can expect much…"

Pasha let out a sigh.

Thinking she looked so adorable like that, Ilya handed the two of them menus.

"Please let me know as soon as you find something you like."

"Will do～"

"Yeah, got it."

Flipping the pages one by one, their expressions slowly began to change.

To say nothing of Gabriel, who loved eating and tended to be very indecisive, even Pasha, who usually had no trouble deciding, was captivated by the sheer variety of sweets available.

While the two were still having trouble deciding, the doors to the branch opened and Cynthia could be seen walking in.

"I'm back～. Uuu～, moving's great but it's really cold!"

"Pi～!"

"Right! Work, work!"

Haku, who had been playing outside with Cynthia, flew straight to Ilya as soon as Cynthia came in and started taking off her cold-weather gear. While Ilya held Haku and brushed off the snow that covered her, Rachelle, Ria, and the others returned and opened the office door to prepare to serve guests.

Because they'd been out in the courtyard, the little snow still on their heads dropped to the floor, leaving slight tracks behind them.

"Welcome back, everyone. Haku, did you have fun?"

"Pi!"

"Haku dashed all over the place, she never stopped moving～"

As she said that, Cynthia's face broke into a grin. Haku, who had grown large enough to require two hands to carry, had reached the point of being able to play on her own.

"Ilya-ane, that's…"

"Pi?"

Haku, having seen Pasha speak, was immensely curious about this tiny thing that could talk.

Her intent, straightforward stare made her falter.

(Why is the dragon god's child in a place like this?!)

Pasha, who could see through the fact that Haku was the dragon god's hatchling thanks to her potent ability, was calculating exactly how long it would take to escape back to Gabriel as Haku watched her like she wanted to pounce.

As though to wash away this explosive situation(?), several men and women opened the door and walked in.

"Welcome～"

"Morning Rachelle, today's cold too huh～"

Removing their cold-weather gear as they sat down and commented on the chill, the customers placed their hands on the hand-warming stones that had been set out on the tables.

"Good morning. Would you like a menu?"

"It's alright. I'll get the usual!"

"I want soy ramen with a side of fried rice!"

"I think I'll have some carbonara pasta. Ah, lots of peppers please!"

"Certainly."

Saying that, Rachelle left the table.

Then, the scene that Pasha and Gabriel were watching suddenly heated up—

"You gotta eat spicy stuff when it's cold ya'know!?"

"Ah, then, I'll have the mapo tofu special!"

"Margherita pizza! And some stew too!"

"Guess I'll go with some soup. Soup!"

"I want some saucy katsudon! With some garnished pork soup!"

"I'll go with some hot sake. Ah, and…"

"Some meat soba please!"

"How 'bout a hot pot?"

"No way. I want penne all'arrabbiata."

Seeing the hall fill up in no time flat, the two of them looked around in surprise.

"T-the heck is this."

"There's so many people."

"It looks like everyone's been working hard on their snow sculptures and only coming back to eat. That's why I told you to let me know as soon as you could, you know?"

The two suddenly looked back down at the menu.

But it was already too late. Rachelle and the others were making their rounds in the dining hall, with the kitchen in its own version of hell. A sign saying the branch was at capacity was hung in the window.

"Onee-chan's a meanie!"

"But it's so much fun～"

Although some people were surprised to see the fairy, most didn't seem to particularly mind her. Everyone was talking about the progress on their snow sculptures and asking what other groups were doing, getting excited about the snow festival.

There weren't any problems with how the snow had been divided up either, so seeing how well the event was reducing their stress, Ilya let out a small sigh of relief.

 

 

 

*

 

The people who had come to take a rest went back out to continue working on their snow sculptures, so the next wave to come in were peddlers, guards, and people who had completed their commissions ahead of schedule.

Once all of their completion registrations were finished, it was time for the receptionists to switch out. Ilya decided to take a short rest before heading into the kitchen, which was her next job.

Ilya, having taken her break, intended to spend her limited time with Pasha and Gabriel in her uncrowded private room, however—

"… You two are still eating?"

Pasha was eating a whipped cream and chocolate parfait topped with sweet fruits, smacking her lips at the strawberry jelly's sweetness.

Gabriel was being Gabriel, slurping down his third bowl of miso ramen.

Pasha would leave whatever she didn't eat to Gabriel, since Gabriel had the defect known as 'really bad gas mileage'. Ilya, having spent time with them, knew this well.

Even so, there was something she couldn't overlook.

"Both of you… have money to pay with, right?"

Their hands stopped moving the instant Ilya asked the question. Realizing her hunch was right on the mark, Ilya let out a sigh.

Pasha's inquisitive nature and Gabriel's inability to rein her in. It seemed their old, ever-present habit of running out of money hadn't been cured.

Pasha waved her hands frantically when she caught Ilya's exasperated look.

"That's not it! We still had some when we were in Filéalemis!"

"We passed the inspection, but I didn't think it would cost so much money…"

Hearing their attempts at an explanation, Ilya felt her strength completely drain away.

"You are both members of the mercenary guild. You know that you could have passed free of charge if you had accepted a commission from Rondéville, right?"

"That's, uhh…"

"We were in a hurry."

Taking Pasha's place in answering because she couldn't find a good way to respond, Gabriel answered as lackadaisically as ever.

As she'd guessed, they had heard about the ice dragon appearing nearby. If they'd stopped by a branch somewhere along the way, they likely would have noticed the ice dragon's subjugation commission being taken down, but apparently they hadn't even done that.

"Really… Come to think of it, what did you intend to do for lodging?"

"U-umm…"

"Ilya, can't we crash at your place?"

After a single sigh, Ilya smiled back at them.

"No good."

Setting Pasha aside, even Gabriel seemed disappointed by her response.

"We're fine with the floo—"

"No good. Even with you, Gabriel, wouldn't you start chewing on Haku's tail half asleep?"

"H-here, then? A private room, one with a bed?"

"That's even more no good. Using the branch for personal matters is prohibited. I can't make exceptions."

"Well, alright."

While Pasha opened and closed her mouth, unable to speak, Gabriel merely shrugged.

"Onee-chan's stingy!!"

"I don't mind being stingy. Please be obedient and take a commission."

And so the two of them had decided to lodge in Lunéville in order to earn travel expenses.

Even so, Ilya believed there could be various problems if she let them do as they pleased, so she suggested that the two of them refrain from using Gnome. While it was true that it would be troublesome if they managed to somehow destroy the highway that had been built at great pains, she also had a task of her own for that great spirit.

Not really having any reason to object, the two accepted her suggestion.

"Well, Gnome, I'd like you to house-sit for a little."

[I hear and obey.]

"Just the two of us… just the two of us…"

Despite hearing a remark like that, Ilya hadn't arranged this for Gabriel and Pasha to be alone, but since she didn't make a habit of looking a gift horse in the mouth, she said nothing.

And so once those two had left for a commission, Ilya faced the great earth spirit in a private room.

At first Haku stared at it fixedly out of curiosity, but she roughly understood the situation before long, and curled into a ball on Ilya's lap as usual.

[Then, Miko-sama. What did you wish to talk about?]

[Gnomid. Have you not felt anything unusual?]

Gnomid. While Gnome was the name for his male form, this great spirit's name in its female form was Gnomid.

Similar to Undine, the great spirit had shifted into a feminine form with no whiskers to speak of and a Japanese single braid, matching Ilya's preferences. Gnomid knit her brows and tilted her head slightly at Ilya's inquiry.

[Nothing worth mentioning… It is the same with the earth vein, and as far as I can sense the world tree from here, there have been no notable phenomena.]

[Then since our last meeting, in that respect as well?]

[Indeed. Miko-sama's very existence, each and every move, has an influence on the world.]

Although she laughed it off nonchalantly, it was nothing but black history for Ilya.

It was like having older relatives tease you from time to time with things like, 'You were such a rascal back then, weren't you～'

At any rate, even just regarding the earth elements, getting an opinion from a spirit's point of view was huge.

(Rather, it's precisely because the great spirit is so deeply connected with the earth elements.)

What concerned Ilya most was an evil god's revival.

The one with the highest probability of returning was the existence called the eldest evil god, the one she had killed. That being had been able to influence the earth elements to a degree on par with a great earth spirit.

[I am relieved to hear that.]

[If I have been of any help to Miko-sama, that would be the highest honor. Please, tell me if there is anything you need.]

At the great spirit's innocent and entirely unselfish smile, a smile also unconsciously found its way onto Ilya's face.

[In that case, could you please stop calling me 'Miko'?]

[That is impossible.]

(Tch.)

She was as obstinate on that strange point as always.

Thinking that Gnomid would likely slip away if she pressed her point, Ilya turned her gaze outside to distract herself from it. Around this time, those two were probably running about complaining about the cold.

[Pasha still hasn't managed to complete the slab, has she?]

[The current fairy monarch is a bit too misanthropic, after all.]

The fairy monarch's slate.

It was a treasured item that described the method for fairies to become fairiels. Generations of fairy monarchs had personally established trials across the world for obtaining permission to read the slate.

Since the current fairy monarch had ascended to his position, the number of fairies who completed the trial and reported to the fairy monarch to become fairiels had not been few.

However, the majority had eventually drowned in the greed born of their desperation, straying from the honest path. Then those who would turn their fangs on the fairy monarch and collude with humans began to appear, so the fairy monarch broke the slate into small pieces and scattered the fragments across all kinds of labyrinths and unexplored abysses to conceal it.

Moreover, they were impossible to reach with any half-hearted power. With installed devices that tested the bonds between several comrades through bewitchment and the like, the end result was closer to many varied forms of torture that merely borrowed the name of a trial.

While most fairies' motive for becoming a fairiel was to remove the curse's body-size disparity and thus eliminate the romance-related troubles that came with it, the fairy monarch's behavior went well past that of a father carefully assessing his daughter's marriage partner — he was a stubborn old man like Princess Kaguya's father, imposing impossible trials.

[After she came to move separately from Miko-sama, her collection speed slowed remarkably. One of her reasons for coming to the ice dragon's subjugation was so that, if circumstances permitted, she could request Miko-sama's aid in collecting the slate.]

The great spirit spoke nonchalantly, exposing the girl's ulterior motive.

Similar to Undine, she took the stance of placing Ilya above her own contractor.

Likely misreading something into Ilya's wry smile, Gnomid panicked.

[T-those two really did miss Miko-sama!]

Her childlike composure vanished somewhere as she started panicking. Ilya smiled and adjusted Gnomid's cap, which had slipped.

[Those two will save people in need even when they don't mean to, so it's fine for them to be a bit more selfish.]

[… That isn't very persuasive coming from Miko-sama.]

[I'm properly living how I want to, you know?]

If she had to name what came to mind immediately, it would be the demons and the nine evil gods that should still be on the loose somewhere.

Even though they were all lumped together under the name 'evil gods,' they had various personalities. The eldest of the evil gods, the one she had killed, had stood out as comparatively the worst, regularly devouring sacrificial women. Meanwhile, there was even an evil god that raised children specifically to turn them into sacrifices.

Therefore, even if they were beings that would eventually cause harm, she didn't want to get involved with them until they revealed their true colors.

She didn't believe that someone like her, who thought that way, was the kind to move to help others.

At any rate, for now she decided that those two were more important than worrying about how the evil god was connected to the ice dragon.

[Gnomid, I have one more question that I absolutely need to ask.]

[Please say whatever you wish.]

[Pasha's way of speaking, is it…]

Thoughtfully tilting her head at Ilya's question, the great spirit suddenly guessed the question and smiled.

[It's an imitation of Miko-sama.]

(I had a feeling that might be it, but still…)

Realizing her earlier guess hadn't been wrong after all, Ilya began to worry.

[She started a little while after separating from Miko-sama… Passionately shouting that she would, 'Become like Onee-chan!' This is the result.]

[Haah…]

It was shocking that she had seemed so domineering back in those days, but now that it had caused adverse effects, she felt like running away and hiding.

She was the source of that somewhat overexcited and prickly tone coming out of Pasha's mouth, but back when they'd traveled together, she remembered her as an innocent child with an adorable disposition.

For now, she had but one wish.

(Please don't let this turn into her black history.)

Would that wish be fulfilled or not?

That was something only Pasha would know.

 

 

The man looked at the snow sculptures lined up outside the window.

They were probably modeled after the human shape. The snow figures had limbs, and while they all had bodies, none of them looked the same.

 

Like the people who lived in this world, the snow sculptures varied infinitely, accepting all kinds of life.

But people couldn't accept life.

Sometimes they took land, sometimes resources, sometimes others' worshipped gods… and sometimes, entire races.

The country where the man had lived in his childhood had been like that.

Established through a coup d'état, it had a policy of giving preferential treatment to humans — human supremacy. At one point, the orphanage the man grew up in was torn down.

The orphanage had accepted both human children and those who weren't human.

The man grieved.

Why was it a crime for him to be with his friends?

Why were humans thought of as a single group, set apart from the other races?

There were no clear answers given to the adults who tried to protest the crime. They were just given the unanimous, 'Humans are the only ones to assume the form of God Rattle, the creator and father of all humans, so we are the dominant species.'

There was no definitive evidence.

There was nothing that could prove those words.

Loudly proclaiming a species' superiority was, more than anything else, born of clinging to that very superiority. In a single word, it could simply be called an inferiority complex.

Anything that couldn't be surpassed was bad. Anything mediocre was bad.

The man's friends had laughed.

Reaching their hands out to him.

Facing him with smiles filled with delight, friends of many varied forms.

"… Don't go."

As he reached out his own hand, the man's heavy eyelids lifted and he realized he had drifted off. He saw that the snow sculptures lined up beyond the window hadn't changed.

Seeing the snow sculptures lined up next to each other brought up an old memory; a weak but unmistakable smile crossed the man's face.

 

 

 

*

 

Several days later.

The central plaza's stone pavement was completely exposed.

With fire stones spaced evenly throughout, the plaza was filled with people, practically overflowing.

The country's tax office that sat at the front of the plaza was equally disliked by all the residents, but since a stage had been set up to cover its front entrance, no one was directing any hostility its way.

Installed at the center of the stage was a metal pole with a wind stone fastened to it to amplify the voice of whoever spoke into it… a loudspeaker.

Seated at a table set diagonally so they could look out over the plaza were four people: Lord Hector, the branch's representative Branch Vice Manager Dennis, Amabel as the judge representative, and the industry guild's Euripides as the sculpture artisan representative.

When the dog beastkin Katie stepped onto the platform, the plaza quieted down at her greeting.

"I will now begin the Lunéville Snow Festival's competition."

Having spoken fluently, she bowed and descended from the stage to join Ilya and the other branch employees, her face satisfied at the cheers.

 

 

 

 

Katie looked lively, as though she were unbothered by the cold, but Ria was shivering next to Ilya, clinging to a fire stone. Ilya was wearing a pea coat, with Katie in a mods coat. Of the three kinds of coats provided, Ria was wearing a duffle coat, but even that wasn't enough for her.

(Because she's a cat?)

While Ilya looked at Ria and thought something rude about her, Elizah stepped onto the platform.

"Then first of all, I will explain the rules."

While she read from her cue card, Ilya and the others moved to the audience area.

"Everyone, after you go around the whole town to see the snow sculptures, please fill in the number of the sculptures that you rate the highest on the voting slip we will be distributing."

Seeing the paper distributed along with the explanation, a man spoke up.

"There're three places to write?"

"Of course, it's so you can choose three. If there were just one, everyone would choose their own, right?"

Laughter rose up at her response. Elizah's [Art of Speaking] was a useful skill.

"The criteria for choosing are entirely up to each of you. The most beautifully made, the most dignified, the most valiant… anything is fine. Ah, even though I said most valiant, you can't choose the branch's, you know? That one isn't included in the competition!"

Another bout of laughter spread through the crowd.

The one set out in front of the branch was a snow sculpture made by Elizah and Cynthia. Its motif was Haku.

Although its appearance was far from anything you could call valiant, it was bursting with a vitality that would make it their mascot both figuratively and literally, and Ilya smiled wryly.

"Please note that your ballot will be invalid if there aren't three names written on it. Ah, and even if you feel embarrassed seeing other people's works, you can't damage your own work either, alright? Ilya put magic on it, so you'd just get hurt."

"That's a case of 'let sleeping gods lie,' huh."

Not just a few but many in the audience hummed in agreement at the man's words.

(What was that supposed to mean?)

Still smiling, Ilya scanned the crowd for the owner of that voice.

If she were to cancel the fixative magic she'd cast for crime prevention and degradation control right now, then before long it would result in the awful sight of "the snow sculpture in that one spot collapsing." For the makers and for the town's residents alike, that would be unbearable — more than enough to count as retaliation.

But if she did do something like that, they might literally say she'd cursed it.

Containing her sulky inner "damn it" at the unwinnable situation, she turned her ears back to Elizah's proceedings.

"The time limit is noon. There will be a new dish at the branch to treat everyone to, but since your judging ballot will double as a voucher, please bring it with you, alright?"

Cheers of joy that hadn't been heard thus far broke out.

People were so delighted about it that one might mistake it for the main event, but Ilya decided that was just her imagination.

"Then, Hector-san. Please declare the judging started!"

Elizah abruptly stepped aside, ushering Hector in front of the microphone.

"Good luck to everyone today… well, today stiff formalities are unnecessary, aren't they. I admire everyone's effort and would like to see you all having fun. And so… let the judging begin!"

With that, a cheerful atmosphere broke out and the spectators bustled into motion.

Having watched it all, Ilya traded places with Elizah on the platform and approached the table of four.

"The ones chosen by everyone as the best will each receive special prizes. It's possible that second or third place will come in with higher votes, but since they have all received public acknowledgment, please judge without feeling constrained."

Three of them nodded obediently.

The last one, however, snorted with what looked like a derisive expression.

"You're an optimistic one. You don't realize that improprieties will be carried out as soon as you can't see them?"

"Improprieties?"

"These standard ballots are easy to mass produce. People will also threaten others to vote for their sculptures. Well, they wouldn't even need to threaten if they paid money."

The branch vice manager went on prattling.

(Now then, what to do?)

As Ilya wondered to herself, Amabel, who was single-handedly responsible for things like assessing the raw materials submitted to the branch, spoke up.

"The paper used is the same type as the branch's commission charts, so it can't be reproduced. It would also be easy to tell if someone had written over another person's answer just by checking it."

Even though she said it would be easy, that was only feasible for people who held the high level [Appraisal] skill. There wasn't even a single person with both [Appraisal] and [Assessment] at each of the branches and headquarters.

Knowing that, Ilya smiled wryly, while Rachelle began to speak to follow up and head off the branch vice manager from responding.

"Whether or not someone's been bullied into something, a receptionist will know. If the person themselves doesn't bring the ballot, they can't eat their dish, so that won't happen, right? Ilya."

Ilya responded to Rachelle's question with a nod.

There were other concerns, like people sticking around just to get a free meal, but they didn't think it was much of a problem since the entries were free.

"And I don't think we need to worry about anything involving money. When you consider the number of people involved and the number of works there are, someone would have to spend no less than 500 gils per person to come out ahead, so I can't see anyone going to that trouble. Besides, even if they did take first place, there's no compensation beyond the prize. If they wanted to brag about the exquisiteness of their sculpture, I think they would have gone to the industry guild instead."

Even if that weren't so, there were currently a lot of people in Lunéville carrying loans.

The prize money would be a significant reward earned without putting up any capital or expenses, but there would be little point in spending any money to get it.

That should settle the problem he had raised.

Having decided as much, Ilya clapped once and turned to the branch vice manager.

"Are you satisfied?"

"… Hmph!"

As the branch vice manager rudely walked off, everyone's expressions visibly relaxed.

Everyone seemed to have eased up a little now that he was out of the way.

This had been meant to relieve stress in the first place, so there was no point in dragging anything like that out.

As though to signal that the subject was closed, Ilya spoke up to everyone.

"Alright then, let's begin our preparations."

""" Yeah! """

With everyone's moods back to normal, the branch staff members began their preparations for the tally and lunch.

 

 

 

*

 

The majority of the participants had returned to town once noon had passed.

Accepting voting slips from the people who had returned, the branch's staff passed out food. After this, they would tally everything up while people ate, then move into the announcement of the results followed by the award ceremony… At least, that was the plan.

"Ilya, we're done with this batch!"

"Understood. How many are there left to do?"

"Another ten batches!"

"About this much!"

Of the three people, the ones who responded were Cynthia and Clarice, who were standing in front of the gathered voting slips.

From their half-strained expressions, Ilya could tell how flustered the two were. Their tones were close to tears.

"Understood. I'll head to the branch to get more, so please hang in there."

"" Eh? ""

Simply giving a vague smile to the two, who had now lost some of their momentum, Ilya turned toward the branch.

Even as she handed the tearful Haku off to Ria when she tried to come along with her, the surging waves of people were unrelenting.

"Another! There're more right!?"

"How many servings have you had!?"

"You…!"

"… They're amazingly popular, aren't they?"

When Cynthia looked up toward the voice, there was a youth with short red hair standing in front of her.

Thinking she'd seen him somewhere before, she just barely recalled having met him at the Construction Completion Festival.

"Fortunately."

"I'm glad. Can I have one?"

"Ye～s, please wait a moment, okay?"

The first thing piled onto the plates being held out was pure-white milled rice.

Then a brown sauce was poured on top. Its bitterness, of a piece with its stimulating aroma, combined with fruits and other seasonings into a delicious flavor…

This was the product of long years of study: a reproduction of homemade Japanese curry.

While they had brought some out beforehand to test the reception, and although it had received a favorable impression, the current rate of consumption far exceeded Ilya's expectations.

When she returned to the branch, Bard and Darren, who were playing the role of house sitters, welcomed her with surprised expressions.

"Ilya, did something happen?"

"Oh, it's alright. I just came to replenish the curry."

Having entered the kitchen, Ilya changed into an apron and washed her hands before blending spices together while looking at the recipe.

The most difficult part about making curry was the spice blend. Although she was able to replicate the texture immediately with wheat flour, curries from places like India easily used ten different spices, and Japanese food companies used close to thirty spices in their blends for curry roux. Thanks to the ridiculous variety of spices, it was just the other day that Ilya had finally become able to reproduce the taste.

(I've been told I'm particular about these things, but I really did go this far for it, didn't I?)

All she could say was that she was satisfied with the end result, so she was glad to see people smiling as they ate so much of it.

"—Ah, oops!"

Setting up a barrier to prevent unexpected intruders, she arranged the necessary materials and equipment on the table.

So as not to run short on time to refrigerate and marinate the ingredients, she used a certain ancient magic.

"—Mine wish, beyond paradise. Surround the stars and unshackle the serpent's fetters, bring thine world of supremacy here."

It was a space-time magic that severed an arbitrary volume of space, accelerating its flow of time.

"—Rydefall."

Concluding the incantation, she successfully invoked the magic.

It was a technique that interfered with space, advancing time at one thousand times the normal rate.

It consumed magical power continuously while it was active, and came with the disadvantage of consuming an equal amount of lifespan from those spending time inside it when they returned to the normal flow of time.

But in her case, as a long-lived elf and the possessor of god elements that granted eternal youth, she didn't have to worry about those points.

Now that she'd removed her time constraints, Ilya resumed cooking.

(Cut the meat and vegetables into bite-sized portions, then—(omitted)—and now it just needs to ferment!)

Releasing the technique, she reapplied [Rydefall] to just the pots. Counting in the accelerated thousand-times rate, she would release it after forty seconds.

In that brief span of time that passed outside the kitchen, three pots of curry were completed.

All that was left was to bring them to the plaza and reheat them. It was a necessary step for the performance of having supposedly cooked them in advance.

As Ilya reached out to one of the pots to carry it off—

"Ah—…!"

Realizing that she'd forgotten to also cook the extra rice, she froze for a moment in misery at her complete blunder.

 

 

 

*

 

After that, Ilya pulled herself together from her dejection and took a moment to cook the rice before immediately returning to the venue.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting."

When she brought one of the pots over on a trolley, she saw a long line waiting.

The incredible magical power of curry. The fact that the cold hadn't let up even though the snow had thinned a bit probably played a part in it too.

"We were waiting, Ilya!"

"It needed to be warmed back up, so I took a little longer in bringing it. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it!"

While the staff continued with their tasks, Ilya searched for a certain person in the crowd.

"Gabriel."

Gabriel, who had been quietly eating curry in silence, noticed and headed toward her, still chewing.

Pasha was on his shoulder as usual, but it looked like she had eaten some curry as well, since there were traces of it around her mouth. She didn't like hot or bitter things, so she had probably eaten the sweet one from another pot, with things like yogurt mixed in.

While Ilya wiped Pasha's mouth with the handkerchief from her pocket, she spoke to Gabriel again.

"Gabriel. I'm sorry, but could you please help me with the curry?"

"Sure."

Ilya bowed in gratitude at his immediate response.

Although Gabriel himself didn't think much about the pros and cons of things, even so, he was reliable.

When she turned toward the unexpected pitter-patter sound behind her, it was Haku jumping toward her. Even though Haku was able to move around on her own, she probably still wanted to be pampered. Rushing into her embrace, Haku seemed happy rubbing her cheek against hers.

"What are you two going to be doing after this?"

Although she'd heard from Gnomid about their objectives concerning the slate, she wanted to hear it from the two of them directly.

From their reunion until today, she had spoken with them many times.

The things they talked about were stories like settling a dispute between various non-member nations near the Archipelago Countries Alliance, getting roped into a dreadful duel with a beastkin companion in heat, or taking a ride on a giant snake in the Ford Sea.

However, Ilya felt a sense of something off about it all. They hadn't tried to bring up anything related to the slate at all.

Even though there was a decent chance they wanted to ask Ilya for hints about the slate.

In response to Ilya's question, which carried those expectations, Gabriel smiled.

"What? As you can see, what we love, right?"

Not that!

Ilya held back that response and chose her next words carefully.

"I can see. You two, are you going to the fairy kingdom?"

"That's…"

Pasha hesitated to speak.

To paraphrase, what Ilya had really asked was, "Did you give up on becoming a fairiel?"

In Ilya's eyes, the two had — or rather, Gabriel had — come to the conclusion that he wasn't dissatisfied with their current situation, and it seemed he'd reached the idea that she didn't need to become a different species like in some fairy tale for them to be in love.

Many fairies desired to become fairiel for reasons related to love and passion, including more graphic ones, and that desire ultimately swept away most of their uneasiness.

However, these two were a special case that fell into a few exceptions.

The two had met during the time Gabriel was training alongside Ilya on the demon god commission. It started when they saved Pasha from the ship of a pirate captain who was being manipulated by a demon.

Pasha, who had decided to tag along with Ilya and Gabriel after being rescued, was taken over by the demon. Gabriel then offered up his own body to save her. Although both of them ended up possessed by it in the end, the two began to be aware of each other thanks to that shared experience.

Even though Gabriel and Pasha had disagreed with each other a lot at first, when they reunited with Ilya after she had temporarily parted from them, the fairy monarch's trial bound the two even closer together.

To the point that the trial started by the fairy monarch — the very thing that should have produced suspicion and insecurity — didn't shake them in the slightest.

Because the two were like that, they might not press on to complete the slate.

Although Ilya had felt that something was off since they hadn't asked for a hint, her expectations were off the mark.

"A bit more… just a bit more. A bit more and the slate will be done…"

Pasha whispered in a small voice.

It wasn't a voice coming from weakened will or broken determination, but one that felt as though it were holding back emotion.

"That's… that's why, Ilya-ane."

After a moment's silence, Pasha—

"We'll… do our best!"

—declared so.

"We really did want to help with the ice dragon's subjugation — we thought we could get a hint as a reward… though…"

Combining that with the story she'd heard from the great spirit, Ilya revised her conjecture.

"… So you'd put in the work first, then ask for a hint?"

"I-I mean, if you just told us, the fairy monarch… might not acknowledge it…"

Her expression looked somewhat downcast.

(So that's what it was.)

Ilya understood. Anyone would try to take the shortcut if one existed.

There was a reason they hadn't chosen to take it.

In her case, it would be like having a strategy website right in front of her eyes but being unable to open it because her browsing history might get leaked. That kind of internal conflict.

Looked at another way, it was also proof that they were at their wit's end and needed Ilya's help.

"Understood. Then please, do your best."

"—! Thank you, Onee-chan!!"

Genuine smiles spread across the two's faces.

Their dazzling smiles seemed to pierce Ilya's heart — the heart that had chosen not to give in to the temptations that came with being a cheat.

 

 

 

*

 

After collecting everyone's dishes once the tallying was done while they were being treated to curry, things started moving forward again.

"We will now announce the results of the tally!"

When Ria, who was hugging the high-body-temperature Haku close to warm herself, made that announcement, the energy among the spectators surged.

"Third place, coming in at 1,588 points! Registration number — 52! Team [Arno]'s Snow White Mithledge Castle!"

The audience whooped at full volume. The loudest of them all were, as expected, the Arno family.

The Mithledge Kingdom's royal castle was the headquarters of the magic guild. No other country's could match its mystique. Voices of admiration and agreement rose from various places in the crowd at the elaborately fine-detailed sculpture.

Then, making use of the timing so as not to break the venue's tension, Ria raised her voice:

"Continuing on, second place!"

Everyone's applause gradually ceased.

All that could be heard were the whispers of various people in mute excitement.

As though to build suspense, Ria swept her eyes across the audience before continuing to read aloud.

"This one earned 1,590 points!"

Everyone let out sounds of astonishment and surprise at the narrow 2-point margin.

"No way!?"

The head of the Arno family even crumpled down and raised his voice, almost in a screech. The prize for third place was ten thousand, but since second place would receive fifty thousand, his reaction was understandable. Those around him looked sympathetic.

"Registration number — 8! Team [Ash Bridge]'s Lottévester Three Goddesses!"

""" Oooh! """

Applause erupted throughout the plaza, shouts of joy loud enough to send tremors through the ground breaking out. The owner of the inn [Ash Bridge] was being jostled by his mistress, who was jumping up and down in delight.

Lottévester's three goddesses were anthropomorphizations of the three world trees that the Lottévester faith revered. They weren't depicted along moe lines, of course; they were all personified in keeping with the mythology, like volcanoes and fate given human form.

"And now, first place…!"

Hearing Ria's voice, the plaza quickly quieted down.

Using that absolute silence—

"—Before that, let me present the special prize winners to everyone～!"

Some of the spectators fell over as though they were in a comedy skit.

It didn't look like anyone was actually upset; rather, everyone seemed delighted at the announcer's skilled control of the event. Calm smiles spread through the plaza.

The only people who knew what the special prizes were were the people on the platform and those backstage.

The only reason people were able to stay this calm was probably because they had only been told that it wasn't money.

"First, the modeling division! Euripides-san, please come forward!"

"U-umu."

Euripides, a stern-looking dwarf with a stocky build and a beard, stood up and accepted the microphone from Rachelle.

He looked ready to flinch back from everyone's stares, but managed to endure it through his pride as a man. Was this the fate of a true artisan, who didn't usually stand up in front of people?

"My choice is the work tha' showed the most attention to shaping it…"

He glanced down at the cheat sheet in his hand and read out—

"Registration number 102. Title: Beloved Horse."

Hearing that, a stir spread through the audience. The entry he'd called out didn't particularly stand out, but it wasn't as though it didn't hold a certain charm for those who looked at it either.

The youth who had made it didn't understand why his entry had been picked either, and simply looked around in a daze.

"Euripides-san, please comment on your choice."

"U-umu."

Catching Ilya's glance, Ria nodded and urged Euripides to continue.

"There are many different kinds of craftsmen… Yet among the various methods used, I feel they all share one thing in common: that great willpower is poured into the things that are made. For swords, that willpower is used to make them sharp and unyielding… For buildings, it is painstakingly devoted to ensuring the safety of the people who live in them. For statues, it is to bestow them with life."

Euripides' voice was quiet, yet it still seemed to reach every last person in the plaza.

"… True, this work is not as elaborate as the two before it. However, it holds a love that wouldn't lose to any other work, and I could feel a breath of life stronger than all the rest coming from it. That is why I, as a sculptor, chose this as the best entry… That's all."

Euripides, realizing he had been uncharacteristically talkative, ended his explanation and set the mic down on the table in embarrassment.

"Euripides-san, thank you for your words! As the grand prize from the modeling division, the sculptor of Beloved Horse, Belmadi-san, will receive…! Lunéville's symbol—"

Saying that, Ria held Haku up in the air.

"Haku-chan's statue!"

"Pi?"

There was gentle laughter and applause. An indescribably warm atmosphere enveloped the plaza.

Lunéville's symbol wasn't Haku, of course. The whole thing was just a story of Ria getting carried away and asking Euripides to sculpt something, after which he chose Haku.

Still, since the dragon god was actually worshipped here and there, the sculpture of Haku, who might become the future family head, could carry some divine favor.

While thinking about trivial worries like that, Ilya went to Belmadi, who was holding Haku's statue.

"Please treasure it."

"I-I will!!"

Blushing, the young man bent his waist at a ninety-degree angle.

Ilya was relieved that he wasn't the type to dismiss it as trash and throw it away.

"Continuing on, the appraiser division! Amabel-san, please step up!"

"… Understood."

Amabel's answer didn't sound very enthused. All of the staff knew that she wasn't the type to stand in front of others. Her mood was largely the result of being forced to do so because she held the most sway in her division.

There was another cause for her tenseness, but we'll leave that out.

"… The work that felt the most excellent to me as an appraiser was registration number 81's… Yeti's Shield."

""" ? """

Not entirely able to grasp the meaning of her words, everyone tilted their heads.

Registration number 81, Yeti, was an entry made by team [Blue Sword]. It was a snow sculpture that (somewhat) resembled a warrior in armor, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Although the armor and weapons came out well because they were familiar with maintenance and repairs and the like, the person himself came out looking like a haniwa.

Her announcement made it sound as though she had assessed the shield itself rather than the whole thing as a sculpture.

"A-Amabel-san, please explain?"

"… To be frank, I do not understand snow sculptures well enough to evaluate them as an appraiser. Therefore, I chose based on value alone. That is all."

Not just Ria, but several people turned to Ilya for rescue. Ilya encouraged Amabel to explain a little further.

"Amabel-san, please tell us your basis of evaluation."

"Basis…? My basis was how much of the nature of fine snow it contained. That shield isn't just fine snow, but is also more in equilibrium with itself than any of the others."

The only people who could probably agree with her words were those who held the [Appraisal] skill like Ilya and could confirm it themselves.

Even among those who had the skill, since the symbolism strengthened it — the shield took the same shape as a hexagonal snow crystal — almost no one knew that that shape was more deeply related to snow than the elements that symbolized it, water and wind.

She hadn't evaluated it based on the snow sculpture's commercial value, but on its qualities as snow that just happened to make up a sculpture. It seemed Amabel was the kind of appraiser who always had her eye on the raw materials.

Having decided to take it that way, Ilya looked back at Ria and prompted her to move on.

"Ah, umm… well, as the appraisal division's grand prize, team [Blue Sword] will receive a rare metal ingot, as well as a set of materials for high-grade restorative medicine!"

When Ilya went to Fidel with two bags in her hands, he took a look at them and smiled wryly.

"I never thought he'd receive something like this… well, it'll be fine as long as we process them."

"Appraisers are people focused on materials, after all."

She handed the prizes over with a carefree smile. Not worrying about the small things seemed to be part of the town's festival.

In any case, there were still two special prizes to go.

However—

"Next on the list, the branch vice manager for the branch division…"

Ria's enthusiasm had visibly tanked.

"(Ria, mixing personal and work matters is no good.)"

"Boo～"

Ria's puffed-out cheeks looked adorable. They were adorable, but Ilya had to harden her heart here.

"(You shouldn't give him an opening to take advantage of. If you do anything, make sure he doesn't notice, alright?)"

"(Got it!)"

Ria nodded proudly. The black cat beastkin looked like she was on a hunt.

Ilya decided to think of it like that, at least.

"Branch vice manager, please make your announcement."

She bowed exaggeratedly, her heart drooping along with her head.

"Hmph… Then, I'll give my pick. The work that I chose is registration number 90's God Rattle—"

"Congratulations, registration number 90! The team that made God Rattle, [Quiver's Branches], will be awarded with a one month's supply of meal tickets from the branch division!"

 

 

The branch vice manager wanted to object after being cut off, but was drowned out by the crowd's voices.

However, there was a problem within those voices. They weren't shouts of joy, but something closer to anger.

"One month of meal tickets!? I didn't hear about that!"

"If that bastard chose it for that, I want a redo!"

"Curry… I want to eat more…"

It was easy to set up countermeasures if you could read the trend of the voices coming from everyone.

God Rattle was a being on par with this world's creation god.

However, as ages passed, the human god began to be confused with the founder of all gods, with the human god ultimately supplanting God Rattle's position.

God Rattle, who possessed no distinct figure, was also often depicted with the human god's elven and human appearance, making him the ideal target of faith for human supremacists.

Considering there were three meals a day, that came to about 100,000 gils. With a reward even greater than third place's 10,000 gils and the suspicion that the branch vice manager was a human supremacist being practically palpable, it might have been someone attempting to pander to his preferences.

While thinking about such things, she looked toward the pharmacy [Quiver's Branches].

"I-Ilya-chan… is it alright?"

Looking around, she felt everyone's intense gazes.

"It's alright… Sure."

""" Ilya-chan!? """

Ilya could only return a troubled smile.

However, it was widely known that anyone who pulled strange tricks wouldn't be allowed into the branch, so she judged that it probably wouldn't be a problem even if she didn't do much about this.

Even so, it was still a fact that the venue's atmosphere had taken a sour turn. Ria raised her voice as if to forcibly cut through the stale air.

"And for the final special prize, Lord-sama's choice! If you would, Lord-sama!"

"Un. I'll announce it now. My choice is the thing that expressed everyone's joy in Lunéville, the guild association branch's entry."

"Eh?"

Like Ria's voice, all of the staff members were dumbfounded, as though caught off guard.

There was a different number written in first place on the voting sheet he had received just after the tallying — the snow sculpture of Haku that stood outside the branch — but it didn't quite fit Hector's overall impression.

Sensing thoughts like those running through the staff members' heads, Hector continued speaking.

"Of course, I also like the Haku statue. I love the work that everyone did together, in that courtyard."

All of the staff were at a loss for words out of embarrassment.

In the branch's courtyard stood the snow sculptures everyone had jokingly made to poke fun at each other's appearance.

However, they had been placed in such a way that they absolutely couldn't be seen from outside, or from the first and second floors' dining halls. The only people who could see them and know of their existence were the staff and those who came to the reception room.

Even so, nobody objected to Hector's decision. That also went to show that quite a few people knew about the sculptures.

"I would like for you all to accept the 100,000 gils reward… How about it?"

When Hector turned to the plaza, applause and voices of praise rose up from here and there in the audience.

It didn't take long for it to spread through the whole crowd.

"U-umm… thank you so much!"

Matching Ria's bow, Ilya and the rest of the staff bowed as well.

"W-well, let's get back to it! I think it's time to announce first place!"

The applause stopped, everyone quieting down.

"Obtaining the most points of them all at 3,030, registration number—"

Everyone held their breath, waiting for Ria's next words.

Even under that wintry sky, everyone's tension and enthusiasm caused sweat to run down their cheeks.

Meanwhile, Ilya quietly left the plaza.

"35! Team [Goddess of Life]'s… The Goddess and Her White Dragon!!"

At that moment, ground-shaking roars resounded from the crowd.

The emotion swirling through the crowd now was the opposite of the negative one from before.

Everyone's faces were filled with joy and excitement as they sent praise and congratulations to the team that had made it.

"And now, representatives from the top three teams, please come up onto the stage! The one to present you with your prize money will be our very own goddess — huh? Ilya? Ilyaaa?"

She heard Ria call her from quite a distance away.

(Sorry… someone else do it!)

It went without saying that there were people who went looking for Ilya, who was fleeing with all her might.

It also went without saying that no one found her.

 

*

 

Afterwards, Ilya, who had no choice but to return to the branch, was scolded by all of the staff who'd been waiting for her.

Who else would have been better suited to close out the event than Ilya?

To that kind of argument, Ilya could only pout, mumbling in her mind that it had been impossible.

They wanted her to praise it fairly and use fixation magic on it without breaking it. Even when it was a snow sculpture that appeared to be a copy of herself.

What's more, she was told to join in praising the person who'd made it.

(What kind of torture was that?)

Even now, several weeks after the festival had ended, she still felt disgruntled when she occasionally recalled it.

"Are you listening, you…!!"

Brought back to her senses by the branch vice manager's angry voice, Ilya's resurfacing disgruntlement was suppressed.

"Yes. Concerning the aim of this event—"

Ilya took a fleeting glance over the crowd of people in the dining hall.

A few cheers arose.

As well as groans.

And bitter grumbles.

The sound of the rain falling outside didn't reach the ears of those who had gathered.

 

 

A few days prior to this.

The snow festival that had been held concluded as a great entertainment success.

The snow was cleared away, the citizens' pent-up anger was vented, and furthermore, a lot of people came to visit and see the snow monuments lined up in front of the buildings.

The costs had been completely recouped.

However, there was an unexpected ambush.

"The rain's still going, huh…"

Hearing Ria's mutter, the staff and guests shared her sentiment. Stopping the flow of customers, sapping people's morale, confining everyone to their houses — strong winds and heavy rain.

The rain that everyone had expected to last only a few hours continued into the following day, the clouds increasing in volume before long.

The same with the day after that, and the next few days, and the next week…

The majority of Rondéville had fallen into a gloom under the rain that showed no sign of stopping. As a small mercy, it had already turned into the off-season for agriculture.

The sight of snow sculptures standing in the rain was very surreal. They weren't affected by it thanks to Ilya's fixation magic, but it was obvious that some people would assume the snow would have long since melted in the extended rain, so the effect of them drawing visitors couldn't be counted on much longer.

Looking at the snow sculptures lined up outside, Katie suddenly opened her eyes wide as though she'd hit upon something and ran over to Ilya, who was standing at the counter.

"Ilya, do you have any good ideas?"

It looked as though she'd suddenly come up with something, but she was actually just dumping it on her.

That said, as Katie's question implied, the current situation was similar to when the snow had kept falling.

"… Right. I think I'll go visit Lord-sama after my shift ends."

That was assuming he was there, at least.

She couldn't say that to Katie, who was wagging her tail, though.

 

 

 

*

 

When she finished her shift at reception and went to the lord's manor, fortunately or not, Hector was there.

Hector, who had met her in the parlor with a warm welcome, smiled at Ilya's proposal.

"It looks like you've planned something fun again."

After placing the proposal back on the table and taking a sip of tea, Hector resumed speaking.

"Could I participate in this one as well?"

He said it as though he had let slip something outrageous.

Although Ilya hesitated for a moment at the unexpected question, she reached a conclusion at once and gave her consent.

"Yes. As long as it doesn't interfere with your official duties."

"Of course! Ah, I'll be financing this one too."

"… Yes. Thank you very much."

With the precedent of the snow festival, Ilya promptly gave up on the idea of persuading him otherwise. That left Hector rather surprised at how quickly she agreed.

Setting aside the discussion of the project, they moved on to another matter.

"An expected disaster, huh… should I station watchmen in that area?"

"How about reinforcing this one first?"

"Reinforce? Then this one's the priority?"

"Yes. First of all, this one is the most dangerous—"

Unfurling a map, they spent several hours working out countermeasures.

After finishing their discussion, Ilya looked up at the cloud-covered sky as she walked down the rainy main street with Haku.

At first glance, the thick clouds drifting across the sky looked as though they were moving normally.

However, her [Clairvoyance] told her that the wind was flowing in an arc out from a certain point in all directions… a typhoon-like phenomenon.

This world's weather, be it rain or fog, was dictated by the elements.

However, when it came to natural phenomena like typhoons, the crystal pillars of wind that produced the wind elements existing in this world were very often the cause.

This time was no exception either, with a crystal pillar of wind hanging in the far-away center of the typhoon.

Even so, the scale of this was too large for a typhoon produced by a single crystal pillar of wind.

Ilya's eyes and knowledge perceived the being frolicking around the crystal pillar of wind, amplifying its scale.

That being was the great spirit of wind, Sylph.

Disliking being bound by anything, never having made a contract with anyone since birth, she was a troublesome child who couldn't stand being alone, so she would do as she pleased and drag other people in. That was the Sylph Ilya knew.

It had been fine until she started playing rough, but since her actions had gradually grown damaging enough to catch Ilya's attention, Ilya had spanked and scolded her.

She had behaved herself for a while after that, but it seems she'd found a new playmate.

Ilya silently prayed for the birdkin youth she'd apparently taken a shine to.

(You have my deepest sympathies.)

While playing with him, Sylph happened upon the crystal pillar of air and triggered a resonance phenomenon by approaching it. As a result, the giant typhoon began, getting Sylph all the more excited.

Ilya's guess of something along those lines was remarkably on point.

Even so, she didn't intend to step in and resolve the cause. Having decided as much, the girl tried to stop thinking about the typhoon, but she suddenly felt that she recognized that birdkin.

Was that person someone who had used the Lunéville branch?

While Ilya, who generally didn't even try to remember males, attempted to place him, her thoughts were interrupted by raindrops moving in unnatural patterns.

"Pi～"

The true nature of the raindrops was magic from Haku manipulating the water.

The dragon god responded to rain-making rituals, moving the Heavenly Palace to bring more rain. Haku would also be able to call upon a storm sooner or later, gaining the power to rouse thunderbolts. Because of that, she couldn't treat the damage caused by the typhoon as someone else's problem.

There were people saying that the dragon god was the source of the long rain recently, but that was the dragon god paying for his earlier offense of causing trouble for everyone by getting involved with children who just liked to pray for rain.

That was how people could invite misplaced suspicion through their own actions.

"Haku, don't become like Jean alright?"

"Pi!"

It was an unexpectedly good response.

 

 

 

*

 

As usual, the rain hadn't let up by the following day.

To set up the event, she gathered everyone in the dining hall first to have them learn the rules.

"Ilya, what's this?"

What the man held up was a round, flat white stone.

On the tables were square boards with nineteen horizontal and vertical lines on them.

On either side of each were two containers, each filled with identically shaped white and black stones. It was a board game in which two players exchanged blows by placing black and white stones, jockeying for position—

"They're called Go stones, used in a game called Go."

After giving a simple explanation of the basic rules of the game, such as Hama (captured stones) and Kou (the arrangement that allows for constant capture and recapture), she played out an example with Gabriel, whom she had already taught the rules. She explained how victory and defeat worked via the counting system, then handed over her chair.

"You'll grow accustomed to it the more you play. Someone, please give it a try."

Contrary to Ilya's prediction that there wouldn't be many takers, she was relieved to see people scrambling to sit in the chairs.

It wasn't her intention to open a Go school, so when it came to methods and techniques for opening moves, everyone started from zero.

"Ilya, what about this one?"

Heading over to the table Fidel had called her to, it was a board game that used pieces with letters written on them to capture the opponent's king.

"This one is Shogi, a game where players take turns moving to capture the other's king."

"It's different from that Chess you introduced at the start, isn't it?"

"Yes."

As she set up both sides, there were already people here and there getting into it and snapping pieces down.

A few eager players were already emerging as she explained rules like how knights moved and their range of action. Once she had explained the constraints on each piece, she had the beginners actually try it out.

They were progressing fairly well at first, but their moves gradually slowed.

Seeing that, Ilya realized she had forgotten something important.

"For official matches, there is a time limit established ahead of time, so please keep that in mind."

"" Eh— ""

It was a measure to prevent out-of-game tactics like trying to starve out an opponent.

While writing down a list of things to bring and distribute, she added a clock to the list. Just that much alone made holding this briefing worthwhile.

When she left that table to see how the others were doing—

"Check!"

"Eh, no way!? Ugaah!"

—she found staff members crying out.

What they were playing was one of the three games she had prepared for the adults, the board game called Chess that she had explained first. It looked like Shogi but its rules were different, so she had tried to avoid confusion by introducing Go between the two.

That aside, the only problem was that staff members were playing.

"Elizah, Bard-san. Please return to your duties."

"Ka～y"

"… Meh."

Hating to lose, Bard was sulking hard. It was decided that a strict prohibition on real fights would be added to the rules.

When she went up to the second floor after giving the two a strict talking-to, the situation was fairly chaotic.

What had gathered on the second floor were… children and the kinds of people for whom thinking deeply about something wasn't a strong point.

The latter was their own personal admission, of course.

They were gathered to learn games that would be easy for people like them to play as well.

On the tables were: Reversi, Jenga, and three varieties of playing cards.

Reversi and Jenga aside, there was a surplus of cards because two of the decks were for War and Concentration.

Poker and Blackjack had also been candidates, but because of their strong gambling nature and the definite possibility of players gaining the [Deception] skill, she had excluded them. Unlike the [Strategy] skill that could be acquired through the board games on the first floor, she judged that it wouldn't be good for their intellectual development.

"Ilya Onee-chan, Haku-chan's eating cards."

"Eh? Ah, hey, Haku!"

"Pi—, Pi～…"

When she confiscated the card, Haku ducked her head down as though frightened.

The card she was holding in her mouth was the queen of hearts. It was filled with magical power since Ilya was the one who had drawn the designs, so it probably looked delicious to her.

"Even if it has my magical power in it, eating them without permission is no good. Understand?"

"Pi."

While petting Haku's meekly nodding head, she saw cards laid out in front of her again.

"Are these some new magic charms?"

Katie asking that question was probably thanks to her intuition and knowledge as a mage.

True, although they didn't take the form of a skill because she'd made them inside the [God King Barrier], they did leak magical power because they had been made through the [Wildlife Caricature] skill, which was a derivation of the [Summon] skill. They were dormant by all means, but there was a real possibility of knights or queens appearing from them.

Even so, they would be impossible to invoke without Ilya herself converting them into the skill, so she shook her head in denial as if to rid herself of the anxiety.

"They are called playing cards, something similar to Tarot."

There was a similar form of Tarot in this world, so several people who knew it nodded in understanding.

"Then first of all, I will introduce a game called Concentration that uses these cards."

After demonstrating the rules with a visual aid, she launched into the explanation for War. However, because it would be imprudent to use that word for a game, she decided to name it Luck Battle, since it was a match decided entirely by fate.

Once she had explained Reversi and Jenga and actually demonstrated them too, the card games seemed to be the most popular among the children. That was likely due to the beautiful designs on the cards' faces.

There was also the possibility that their preferences differed due to cultural differences, so Ilya was slightly relieved that the cards were well received.

All that was left was to have the town's industry guild workshop reprint them. When she went down the stairs while thinking about that, she found the branch vice manager scolding Elizah.

"If you want to play, then you can just go and quit!"

"…"

For Elizah, there was no persuasive force in being told that by the branch vice manager.

She just maintained an expression of feigning ignorance in response to the branch vice manager's threatening attitude.

For her part, Ilya didn't intend to defend her, since she had already warned her once about playing. She had decided to use her time off to head to the workshop and commission immediate reproductions of the games.

But.

To Ilya, who was trying to pass by with a bow—

"Wai—

"Wait, Ilya!"

The two raised their voice.

"… Is there something I can help with?"

When she turned around, the branch vice manager, with a sour expression, and Elizah, with a sulky look, had both turned to face Ilya.

"Obviously! This girl was abandoning her duties to play those games you brought!"

"I did not abandon them. I only interrupted a conversation."

(Hmmm…)

Not having actually witnessed it, Ilya couldn't make a judgment.

So she decided to ask a third party.

"I'm sorry, but as I did not see it happen—"

"You… what did you just…!"

"Ilya, you don't believe me?"

Seeing the branch vice manager grow increasingly upset, Elizah looked away, dejected.

However, what was essential in admonitions and warnings was understanding what needed to be improved on, not relying on trust.

"Whether I believe you or not, it isn't possible to make a judgment based on the involved parties' statements alone. This isn't a matter for personal opinions and views."

Did they understand her point?

Both of them stopped talking.

When she turned to those who had heard what was going on, several people volunteered to explain. Luckily, it appeared that one of them was a newcomer from the commerce guild.

With people who came to the branch often, there was a chance they would hold ill will toward the branch vice manager and therefore lack objectivity.

"… I see. So it appears it was simply a series of coincidences."

The truth wasn't a particularly complicated story either. Someone had asked Elizah for advice as she was delivering them a drink, and the branch vice manager had only seen her answering.

"You intend to close the matter as a mere coincidence?"

"Yes. What Elizah did was the same as teaching a customer who didn't understand how to eat their dish how to do so. If I condemned that as playing, I would be the one in need of a scolding."

The instant the branch vice manager opened his mouth to rebuke her, voices popped up from the onlookers in Ilya's defense.

With a bitter smile, the branch vice manager once again fell silent and turned away.

People would normally be overawed by his oppressive air, but as expected, he simply put on a vulgar smile.

"Hmph. As expected of our branch's goddess. You seem to win the masses over easily."

His voice was filled with cynicism and malice, but instead of the dining hall's atmosphere being filled with a dangerous feeling — it wasn't.

If anything, plenty of people couldn't help laughing at the situation, going, "What is it this time?"

A lot of people even went back to their games.

Elizah smiled apologetically where the branch vice manager couldn't see, but in truth, the damage Ilya took was large.

Of course, the damage wasn't from the branch vice manager's words themselves, but rather from the fact that people accepted those words as a matter of course.

"—What was his aim this time?"

She'd never felt that she wanted to be worshipped or revered. Being treated as a goddess was unreasonable.

She'd thought about destroying this world about the same amount. That is to say, not at all.

(At any rate—)

"Are you listening, you…!!"

 

 

 

 

(Alright, alright, forget it.)

She forcibly switched her train of thought.

He'd gone out of his way to ask the same question again, so she should probably answer it.

However, remembering that this time's commission and project design were under the lord's name, with the contents entrusted to her, Ilya revised the words she had planned to say.

"Yes. Concerning the aim of this event—"

When she looked around the dining hall, she saw plenty of people enjoying games and felt the gazes of more than a few of them.

Although she wasn't exactly in a tough spot, she might pick up needless animosity by saying something carelessly.

Considering that, Ilya further revised her words.

"It will be the same as the snow festival's. Not letting out stress is bad for the body, after all."

The branch vice manager, who'd started to say something, shut up and left the branch. That should have been the end of it, but it felt as though the dining hall's atmosphere softened somewhat.

For some reason, it felt like she'd been bullying the weak recently.

(I just answered the question, though…)

 

 

 

*

 

Several days later, it was still raining.

Once mass production of the Shogi pieces and boards was up and running, notices for a competition were put up.

Because of the argument with the branch vice manager, there were already a lot of people anticipating it before the notices went up. Rather than turning into an event with only a few participants, it instead set off an information war among people trying to participate in an event that didn't favor the strong.

Right now, Ilya felt eyes on her much the same as during that exchange with the branch vice manager. She figured this was probably people trying to pick up any and all information relating to the event.

There was another thing drawing everyone's attention as well.

"Ilya-ane, what's this buffet thing?"

At Pasha's question from Ilya's shoulder, gazes full of curiosity all gathered on her.

"A buffet is an all-you-can-eat meal."

All-you-can-eat. Hearing those words, everyone who heard her grew excited.

She had started thinking about adding a buffet to the event after agonizing over how to use the prize money they had received from the snow festival. The amount per person would drop drastically if they divided it among all the branch's staff, and a few people had even suggested something like a company outing.

In the end, after everyone discussed it together, they decided to give it back to the citizens.

They couldn't provide every kind of dish, so it would probably only be sweets, but as long as they could see everyone's reactions, that would be enough.

"Even saying that, it's only for people who order meals, though."

"So just desserts, huh～? No, no, that's good enough!"

"All-you-can-eat… all-you-can-eat…"

Pasha's muttering on her shoulder was scary.

If not for the background music coming from the band performing right then, with only the sound of Shogi pieces and stones clacking against their boards along with the rain outside, it would have been even scarier.

Just as she was thinking something like that, the branch's door was thrown open.

"… …—"

The person who appeared in the doorway was a girl with jet-black hair and dark brown eyes. Her originally black boots were so muddy that you could barely tell they were black.

"… Ilya!"

The moment the girl saw Ilya, she tried to walk toward her — and collapsed.

Although Ria was nearby and managed to catch her, the girl's face was beyond pale.

"Ilya, this girl…"

"Un. A friend."

It was a face she had seen before. However, the fatigue on her face was so heavy that it was almost impossible to tell at a glance.

"Sorry, Ria. I need to treat her immediately, could you please take over the desk?"

"Got it!"

When she went to carry the girl to a private room, she was stopped by a hand stretching out from beside her.

It wasn't blocking her. When Ilya looked up at the person, she saw a soft smile.

"I'll carry her."

The one who had held out his hand to carry the girl was Gabriel.

So she wasn't being blocked at all — it was just Gabriel's kindness. She realized that her nerves must have been worn down a fair amount for her to not have noticed sooner.

(… Let's calm down a little.)

Letting out a single breath, she calmed her mind.

"Sorry. Thanks."

"Don't worry."

Gabriel carried the girl to the second floor with his usual nonchalance.

Ilya followed after him once she entrusted her duties to Ria.

 

*

 

Because Gabriel and Pasha knew of Ilya's cheat abilities, she didn't hesitate to begin healing her. She used the sacred-type mental recovery magic, "Recover Fatigue".

Once her fatigue and endurance had recovered, the girl stirred slightly, as though to look away from the dazzling radiance of the magic.

"Nn… h-huh… this is…"

"Nina."

When Ilya called out the girl's — Nina's — name, she blinked twice and—

"Ilya!"

—cried out and embraced Ilya.

However, she wasn't able to support her own body, so Ilya caught her just before she started to fall.

Once she had sat the girl back down on the bed, the girl was blushing from embarrassment.

"Nina, calm down."

"U-un. Ilya, I—"

Groooowl.

A loud sound filled the silent, tension-filled room.

Those in the room were Nina and Ilya, along with Gabriel and Pasha. Seeing the girl blushing while holding her stomach, it was obvious where the sound had come from.

Rather, because the source of the sound was more than obvious, it was impossible to endure the awkward silence.

"Ilya, I'm hungry."

Whether reading the mood or unable to — Ilya and Pasha felt it was probably the latter — Gabriel proposed that they all have some lunch.

The human girl who threw herself into eating her meal even more than Gabriel was Nina Amaro.

Her real name was Amano Niina, a Japanese person who had lost her way into this world.

As for her use of 'I (Boku)', the girl, not understanding this world's language, had learned it intending to use 'I (Watashi),' but had wound up like that, lending the otherwise healthy young girl a strange charm.

A talented mage who specialized in wind magic and spirit magic, she was a delivery person who resided in the Archipelago Countries Alliance. Although she was a delivery person, she shouldn't have been on a commission that brought her from the far-away alliance all the way to Rondéville.

The reason was her magic teacher, her beloved birdkin.

(… Birdkin?)

Ilya felt as if a memory suddenly caught on that word. When she thought about it… she realized what it was.

"… Haah."

Hearing her unintentional sigh, everyone looked at her.

"Nina."

"Mogu? Mogo, momu."

"Swallow first, please."

With a gulp, the girl downed what was in her mouth. After waiting for her to finish that, Ilya asked.

"Are you searching for Elias-san?"

"Amazing! How'd you know!? I still haven't said anything!"

Nina waved her hands excitedly, her eyes sparkling. If she were a beastkin, her tail probably would've been wagging too.

Meanwhile, Ilya's tension dropped. She hadn't been wrong about thinking she'd seen him somewhere before, and she was seized with a sense of guilt for not realizing the person had been someone important to a friend.

"Elias-san has turned into Sylph's playmate."

"Eh, really!? Then I can just go to where this Sylph-san is!? … Wait, Sylph!?"

"Hey you, don't go yelling so suddenly."

"Ah, s-sorry… A fairy!?"

Finally noticing that Pasha was there, Nina jerked. There had been a thieves' guild in the Archipelago Countries Alliance that overhunted fairies in the past, and since it was rare for fairies to approach people, her reaction was no surprise.

Even so, her tension was high.

(That part of her hasn't changed…)

Although Ilya was worried from seeing her former exhaustion, she was relieved to see that that part of her friend was the same as usual.

"Sylph…"

She was overwhelmed by the thought of it.

A great spirit of wind versus a wind mage. In terms of the ability to manipulate wind elements, it would be like the difference between a Queen and a Pawn in Chess. Her depression was no wonder.

"How could I defeat that…"

"Wait."

Ilya's hand was on her temple.

Don't try to keep a girl in love from showing her strength.

Nina leaned forward and retorted to Ilya, who had stopped her.

"But—!"

"Even Sylph isn't an idiot. She wouldn't end her playmate's life."

"But—… mou, he hasn't been home in three months…!? I didn't understand why, but those Spirit-sans who always help me wouldn't tell me where he'd gone either…"

Nina was clenching her fists tightly in frustration.

Pasha and Gabriel looked as though they sympathized with her, imagining how it would be if their positions were reversed.

Ilya didn't intend to stop her without good reason either; she just needed to confirm one thing.

"Hey, Nina. How long have you been looking for Elias-san?"

"For three months! It was strange that darling hadn't returned home after a day!"

(She used another strange word as usual, huh…)

While escaping from reality, Ilya slowly looked down as the room filled with a strange mood.

(… Un. Let's just think of it as lovey-dovey love! Getting in the way of a person's romance is no good!)

Summing it up like that, she made her decision.

Ilya stood up, smiling as though to put Nina at ease.

"At any rate, please rest for now."

"Uuu…"

"Do you think that Elias-san would like to be saved by you injuring yourself?"

Nina cast her eyes downward, unable to respond.

Ilya knew that using his name was a foul play against her. Even so, calming her down took priority.

Even if it was to save him, there was no reason for her to throw herself into danger alone.

"You need to rest. You haven't slept much, right?"

"U—… un."

She had probably stayed up for many days straight, flying everywhere.

Even with her fatigue and endurance restored, her magical power should still be practically exhausted.

If she kept overworking herself as she had been, there was a danger she would mummify.

"Don't worry. I'll think of a proper method."

"… Got it."

Nina nodded meekly, finishing her meal and slipping back into the bed.

Ilya had been worried that she might try to sneak away, but seeing the girl fall asleep the moment she lay down told her there was nothing to worry about.

 

 

 

*

 

The second day since Nina arrived.

Using the morning to propose countermeasures to her, she asked her to sign the commission document if she approved.

Once noon passed, she had receptionist duties.

While she was standing behind the counter, gazing at the ever-unchanging rain, the branch's door was thrown open.

What was it this time?

Looking toward the door, she saw a group of people standing with their faces hidden under hoods.

"Geh."

Ilya, who'd seen through their disguises with her [God's Eyes], unintentionally let her voice slip out.

When the group lowered their hoods, their blonde hair and blue eyes were revealed. With snow-white, doll-like skin, their graceful appearances made a strong impression.

The dozen or so good-looking men and women who'd appeared had long ears at the sides of their heads.

The people who had marched in were a group of elves.

What had caused Ilya to react like that wasn't simply that they were all elves, as anyone could see.

The cause was a man in the center of the group.

Clad in extravagant clothing that just barely avoided being pompous, the man, surrounded by his robust escorts, fixed his gaze on Ilya. He was practically glaring — to the point that you'd feel his gaze even after looking away.

(… Maybe he'll leave?)

While Ilya was praying for that, Ria crept closer to Ilya and pulled on her sleeve.

"(Ilya, those people look important!)"

(I know, I know… haah…)

Not able to ignore Ria, Ilya opened her mouth to speak, hiding her reluctance.

"… Welcome…"

Hearing her speak as though ushering them in, the group used the moment to draw closer to her.

Having everyone in the branch staring at her was painful.

"… What business do you have?"

"I came to pick you up. Return with me."

Hearing the man's words, the dining hall grew even noisier than it already was. A strange mood filled the room as the music stopped on account of the commotion.

Likely impatient from Ilya trying to come up with some plan, the man walked straight up to the counter.

When he drew close to her, the man whispered to her with a graceful smile.

"You said that you would return if I came, so I came."

Ilya realized what he was talking about.

(Oh, I did say that, didn't I… But you actually came!? I meant don't ever come here!!)

Her grief never made its way to him.

"Who are you all!?"

Who was that? The one who'd shown up to make the situation even more complicated was none other than the branch vice manager.

As something of a silver lining, his showing up caused the man to move a bit away from Ilya. Although Ilya didn't expect him to come anywhere close to what she wanted — namely, driving them away altogether — the branch vice manager pressed in on the group.

Even so, her expectations went unfulfilled.

"Stop there. Do not come any closer to Elder-sama."

He was stopped by elves who drew their swords.

(So it was no good after all, huh.)

Hanging her head in her mind, Ilya resolutely shifted gears and glared at the group of elves.

"Stop. Now."

"… But Ilya-sama."

"Don't go by the rules of the village here. You are the ones in the wrong."

A few seconds passed with Ilya staring down the elves, their swords still drawn.

"… Understood."

The elves ceded to Ilya.

Some of the elves' faces paled at her bone-chilling gaze, but Ilya didn't seem to pay it any mind, and after seeing that they had all sheathed their weapons, she turned back to face the man before her.

The man held the right to command them, but didn't appear particularly upset that his subordinates had obeyed Ilya's order.

"Let's start over. It's been a while, Fountain Elder-sama."

"Yeah. Since the time you brought York back."

The man, who spoke almost as though he had missed her, was named Reginald Fritz.

He looked like a graceful man in his twenties, but he was actually an elder who governed Fountain Village and had lived more than ten times that long.

If York could be considered a genius when it came to ice-type magic, it could be said that this man was a genius in water, fire, and wind attribute magic.

"Your readiness to trouble me is endearing. With that, it will be enough for you to return home for now. We'll continue after reaching the village."

There, each of the elders as well as the higher-ranked patriarchs would gather to decide Ilya's fiancé.

However, Ilya dismissed that as too ridiculous.

"I refuse."

One of the man's eyebrows twitched in response.

"Why—"

"Why? I said I would come if you came here, but just how long ago do you think it was that I told that to York? You panicked when you heard I was taking care of this child, didn't you?"

Seeing Haku, Reginald's eyebrows twitched even more, and his guards all turned their gazes on him. From the course of events, Ilya's guess had been dead-on.

Because the Elf Village and the Heavenly Palace, in which the Dragon God dwelled, were both trade partners and mutual shut-ins, he could only think of it as them trying to gain information.

Since she was keeping the Dragon God's child, it wasn't unreasonable to believe her relationship with the Dragon God had strengthened.

Reginald had expected her to eventually return after becoming unable to bear the loneliness, but if her companion was the Dragon God, that would amount to losing a massive advantage they held over the other long-lived races. Flustered, he had hurriedly tried to bring her back.

(So that's what it was.)

At any rate, Ilya was happy that her conjecture had hit the mark.

In any case, she would use that to press him.

"I dislike people who are so petty. Please, withdraw."

His pettiness, his flaw, could in a certain sense be called the pride of an elf.

The reason Undine had not chosen him, someone who held a cheat-like ability for magic, was because she didn't like that aspect of him.

On the other hand, York, who held an arrogance in that he looked down on others, was nonetheless flexible in his dealings with the humans he tentatively acknowledged and the people he took an interest in.

She'd heard that Undine was pleased with his very un-elf-like openness and tolerance (?).

Even after she'd taken the time to think about things like that, none of them reacted.

(Is it around time to have them understand the situation?)

Just as Ilya was about to begin speaking—

"E-emergency, Ilya!"

—a rain-soaked man burst into the branch.

"What happened?"

"Midee River's water rose more than we expected! It's not gonna hold!"

The reinforcement hadn't been enough.

The elder smiled eerily.

 

 

 

 

"Ilya. You called me petty, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then I will have to correct your evaluation. Everyone."

Hearing Reginald's dignified voice, the surrounding elves all simultaneously straightened themselves.

"We will be going to reinforce the river."

""" Sir! """

"How's that, Ilya. This will be free, of course—"

"No need."

The elves all stopped moving.

So that they would know they didn't mishear her, she spoke once again.

"There is no need."

Then, as though mocking the elves who had completely stiffened up at this point, a joyful voice echoed through the hall. Everyone's gazes focused on a boy with a fairy on his shoulder.

"Yeah! It's our turn from here on out, so you guys can all go ahead and leave!"

"If we ask Gnome, it'll be done in one shot."

"No need."

Whether he didn't understand or wasn't interested in thinking about it, either way, Gabriel just stood there. Pasha was confused enough to make up for Gabriel's share.

"But why!?"

"Because I had predicted that the river would flood and consulted with Lord-sama in advance. We have already put countermeasures in place."

When she looked over the dining hall, several people waved their hands in response.

Those on alert at the branch were only the nearest reinforcement group; there were other groups on standby in various places as well.

Even so, Pasha wasn't satisfied with that, and hopped over to Ilya's shoulder to continue.

"B-but wouldn't it be better for us to go!?"

"That may be the case."

"Then—!"

Before explaining, she exchanged looks with Rachelle and had her act as planned. It wouldn't be a laughing matter if they were too late because of her explanation.

Once she confirmed they had started, Ilya turned back to Pasha.

"Pasha. Do you know how society works?"

"I don't know!"

It was obvious from her immediate response that she hadn't thought about it at all, but Ilya wasn't going to stop at that.

Although her aim was for Pasha to understand it herself, it was also for Pasha's sake.

"… Right. This place has your favorite pudding, right?"

"Un!"

Pasha's vigorous assent caused Ilya to smile wryly.

Ilya knew all too well that the girl was a child who was fundamentally honest and would give her all when it came to her goals.

"You pay money to the shop for the pudding you eat, but that money is then indirectly distributed to the traders who transported the materials here, as well as to the farming families paid to produce the ingredients."

In truth it worked a little differently than that, but it was close enough.

She had spoken with conviction in order to give her words persuasive force.

"However, if you produced all of the ingredients and made it yourself, what wouldn't you do?"

"… Buy it from the shop?"

"Correct. Because of that, the shop wouldn't be able to sell pudding. And because the shop couldn't sell it, it would stop buying the ingredients from traders. The traders, in turn, would no longer stock those ingredients and wouldn't purchase from the farming families. What would happen then?"

"The farmers would be in trouble?"

Ilya nodded.

"The farmers wouldn't be able to make money and would have to stop being farmers. As a result, pudding would disappear from the shop. Of course, this is an extreme example, but… a single action can affect many different groups of people. This situation is the same."

Pasha's pouting was fading, so she probably understood at least some of what Ilya was trying to tell her.

"Sure, it would be settled quickly if you asked Gnome to handle it, but that would cause the people who earn their living from the same kind of work to lose their income. If that happened, they might leave Rondéville to find a place where they could make a living. With the people who could reinforce levees gone, what would we do if the river flooded again? Would you be in Rondéville then?"

Her tone had accidentally turned a little harsh.

Realizing that, Ilya patted Pasha, who was hanging her head in shame.

"I said it just a moment ago, but that is just an extreme example."

"Pi."

"Wai—, hey!"

Even though Pasha was feeling gloomy, she didn't seriously reject Haku, who was trying to comfort her along with Ilya. Thanks to Haku, she was able to regain her former vigor.

"People with power must think about how their power influences those around them… It'll be even more important after you turn into a fairiel, so make sure to remember it, alright?"

"U-un…!"

Now that persuading Pasha was done, Ilya switched gears.

When she turned back to the elves, they reacted with a start.

(Now to make sure they understand.)

"Ilya. That thing we talked about earlier, about recei — there's lots of Ilya-like people!?"

Right after she had that thought, Nina, who was coming down from the second floor, raised her voice in confusion.

There was a commission preparation document in her hands; it looked as though she'd come down to bring it to her.

Ilya thought of an idea.

"Elder-sama, do you seriously love me?"

The entire hall erupted at the words Ilya herself spoke while having to endure the chills running down her body.

(Wait a moment… That might've been a bit much.)

As expected, Reginald misinterpreted Ilya as being embarrassed and responded confidently.

"Naturally. Nobody could love you more than me."

(Ewwww! Gross, gross, gross!!)

Ilya's body was covered in goosebumps.

It didn't show because she was wearing the [Miko's Restraint], but it took everything she had to keep her face looking calm.

However, when she unintentionally looked away from him, he misinterpreted Ilya yet again. Reginald grasped her shoulders and brought his face close to hers.

"With you by my side, be it the Dragon God or Demon God… I would lose to no one."

(Gyaaaaah! Stooooop! Ueeeh… I feel sick…)

Despite agonizing and regretting her actions, she was acutely aware that this was her chance.

He'd dug his own grave.

"If so, prove yourself."

"…?"

Ilya rallied all of her willpower to appear calm, smiling as big a smile as she could possibly muster.

Then, keeping her voice low enough that only he could hear—

"If you can make Sylph surrender, I'll be able to depend on and live with you in peace of mind."

—she whispered.

 

 

 

*

 

Changing location, the second floor's private room.

Excluding Ilya, the people who had gathered were Gabriel, Pasha, Reginald, and Nina. Nina was confused by the strange-feeling presences among the lineup.

"Well then, I will explain this commission."

"Commission?"

She nodded in response to the elder's question.

"Yes. The commission proprietor is our Amaro-san. The content of the commission is to rescue a birdkin that has been seized by Sylph."

"That will be solved by us, ourselves."

"No, it will not."

Ilya's curt response caused the elder's face to freeze.

"This is a commission that has been formally issued by the guild, so the participation of individuals who do not belong to a guild will not be permitted. As Elder-sama has already acknowledged the existence of this commission, refusing to accept it will be deemed intentional opposition to the Country-Guild Agreement, and you will become subject to purging. For that reason, please allow Amaro-san to accompany you."

This elder, who, despite having stayed within the borders of his village, knew of the guild's renown by way of the Windia Patriarch Federation where the patriarchs lived, couldn't disregard purging measures that would turn them all into enemies.

When Reginald glared at Nina in what looked like frustration, the girl wilted.

—Don't glare at a child, you lolicon!

Glaring back with those words in her eyes, Reginald looked openly dismayed at her utterly scornful look.

"… H-hmph. It's your lucky day, girl. We will stop that great spirit for certain."

"It is fine to be enthusiastic, but please follow the strategy."

"Understood."

Obedience was fine, but that much was just gross.

Even so, since the risk to Nina's life would decrease considerably with the elves' help, in all honesty, it was a big help to her.

"Although it's a rough strategy, you will first use Amaro-san's persuasion to draw out the birdkin and separate Sylph from the Crystal Pillar of Wind. Following that, as soon as there is enough distance between them, weaken Sylph with her opposing element through Gnome. Gabriel will focus on defense."

"Understood."

[I hear and obey.]

Gnome accepted as well. From the quickness of his response, you could tell how disgusted he was with Sylph's wild nature.

"Guard Amaro-san and the birdkin while the elves consume the nearby wind elements. Elder-sama will capture Sylph along with Nina."

"… Are you sure?"

The one who said that was Elder Reginald.

When Ilya understood the meaning behind his question, she simply smiled at him.

"For you to want cooperation with Great Earth Spirit-sama… You aren't all that honest either, are you."

She wanted to slug him with that smile.

From his reaction, she guessed that he had misunderstood her smile as, "I'm trying to make an excuse for us to marry." The misunderstanding was convenient for her in a certain sense, so she didn't correct him.

"When do we leave?"

"We are planning for it to be tomorrow."

"Understood. The others will use the time to recharge themselves. Now then, for my bed…"

"Please, do not worry. We have prepared an inn for you and the others to use and relax in."

"Gu, mu…"

The lolicon, defeated by Ilya's smile, meekly left the room.

What came next would be the crucial part. When she turned her focus on Nina, the girl blushed and looked down.

Pasha spoke as though in proxy for the young girl.

"I-Ilya-ane, will you seriously marry…?"

"I won't. I hate elves."

"Eh?"

She turned to Nina, who, like Pasha, was staring in wonder.

"So please, you must also cooperate."

"Eh? U-un! I'll force myself even if I REALLY don't want to!"

"… As you say. I'll hand this over to you then, Nina."

"Eh? This is…?"

Seeing its contents, Nina couldn't understand what it was and tilted her head.

Ilya held up her index finger and smiled back at her.

"A love charm!"

 

 

 

*

 

It had been two days since she said something so embarrassing that it made her want to roll in her bed at the mere thought of it.

Ria was standing on the platform that had been specially set up in front of the branch's counter.

"And now we'll begin the opening ceremony for the first (temporarily named) game competition!"

Applause and cheers sprung up. Taking that as her cue, Ria left the platform, allowing Cynthia, the host, to step up.

With a simple review of the rules and other things like prizes, things moved forward without any particular problems. By the way, there were prizes for Shogi, Go, and Chess, with other prizes to be awarded after the games like they had been at the Snow Festival.

Naturally, the end of the opening ceremony was left to Hector.

"Although I will be joining in for the chess games this time, I won't forgive anyone if you go easy on me. The main purpose of this competition is to enjoy it. Don't forget that. I want you all to compete to the best of your abilities."

And thus the opening ceremony was concluded.

Going back up onto the platform, Cynthia began to read out the venue locations.

"The Shogi, Go, and Chess meeting location is in the branch's dining hall on the first floor. The location for Reversi and Jenga is the first floor of the main building, with card games on the second floor. The tournaments' seating and tables are assigned in their corresponding halls, so please make sure to find yours upon arrival."

Once Cynthia finished speaking, a strained tension ran through the room.

"Now then, please make your way there!"

The participants started bustling away as though to vent some of their pent-up excitement.

Waiting tables, keeping track of the progress schedule, and keeping an eye out for cheating. For all staff members not assigned to reception work, the real work was just beginning.

"Does everyone have a wind magic stone?"

The staff nodded at Ilya's question. The fist-sized stones everyone was carrying were a sort of simplified version of the Dragon God's Earrings.

They contained a sliver of Ilya's mana, and although they were only effective within the range of her mana, the stones would resonate with the other magic stones to function as transceivers and speakers.

"Please use them as we practiced. I believe you are all well enough acquainted with the method, but please note that if you don't make sure to cut off your mana to it, anything you might say to yourself will be leaked to everyone else."

""" … … … """

"Geh…"

During their practice the previous day, Bard had embarrassed himself when he muttered what was on his mind while looking at Ria: "She really is suited for it…" His face had turned red when he felt everyone's gazes turning his way.

It was the duty of the person in charge to point it out, so there was no use in him scowling at Ilya.

"Well then, please make contact once you arrive at your stations."

""" Roger! """

""" Roger～! """

"Pii!"

The personnel all responded properly.

Ilya was in charge of supporting each venue and the kitchen while also working at the reception desk.

"Haku, let's stay together today, how about it?"

"Pii～♪"

Sitting on the chair specially placed behind the counter, she gently pet Haku, who had jumped up onto her apron.

If everything went according to plan, no one would need to come visit her.

Ilya looked toward the window once more.

A very, very far distance away from the view of the cityscape coming through the window—

A great chase was unfolding above the Note Sea between Sylph and Nina, who had taken the birdkin with her.

[Ahaha! Amazing! You can do it too!]

"H-he suddenly turned energetic."

Sylph had been resentful at first, thinking they had disturbed her fun, but her mood did a one-eighty once she saw Nina's uncommon flight magic. Ever since then, she'd been chasing after Nina with a smile on her face.

[Hey hey, I'm catching up ya know～!?]

"H-here I am…! See, Elias too!"

"Y-Yeah."

Being someone obsessed with playing tag, Sylph didn't notice that she was being lured onto land.

Of course—

"Come, Gnome."

[Acknowledged.]

—that included not noticing the presence of the great earth spirit.

Drawing closer, ever closer, Gnome released his presence.

[Wha—…! What're you doing here!]

[You noticed too late!]

Due to their conflicting element attributes, Sylph of the Wind and Gnome of the Earth weakened each other.

Sylph, annoyed at the unexpected hindrance, bolted straight down toward Gnome while rapidly firing off wind magic.

She used a variety of techniques — blades of wind, bullets of compressed air, as well as things like helical vortexes.

"—Sword Draw."

However, all of them had their elements severed and disappeared.

His hair drawn into a ponytail and fluttering in the wind elements that had been reduced to a breeze, the one who swung the long sword in his hands was the Demon God youth.

[Why, why, why!]

"… It's useless."

Gabriel swung his sword as though to shield Gnome. It was a speed that an ordinary person's eyes couldn't follow. The red light coming off the blade seemed to be sucked back into the sheath, earning it the alias of Soul Blood Devourer.

[Why can you use that!? That's—]

"Yeah. I learned it from Ilya."

[—!]

[Sword Draw] was derived from the [Swordplay] skill. It could sever the connection between elements without itself using elements as a medium, and this too was part of the swordplay he had learned from Ilya.

With her anger and bewilderment intensified by paranoia and envy, Sylph had started fixating on them, sacrificing her greatest advantage.

[Then I'll just blow everything away—!]

[I won't let you!]

The gathering wind elements were blocked by a suddenly appearing earthen wall.

And that wasn't Sylph's only mistake.

"I will capture you!"

[Nee-chan!? Wait, you're so not her!]

Sylph's eyes widened upon seeing the figure of an elf coming through a crack that had opened in the wall; however, she was disappointed when it wasn't the person she thought it was.

She didn't really have the time to make such a pointed remark, though.

"Signal Ray!"

[Woah! What're you doing now!]

"Kuh…!"

Having closed the distance to the enemy, the elder attacked. He wasn't able to catch the soaring Sylph, but he did succeed in landing his magic as planned.

However, in return he was blown back by his own magic as it made contact with Sylph, sent flying backwards.

Sylph, finally able to settle down for a moment, calmed somewhat.

[Nn?]

What she saw was magic shot from the group of elves.

(Hmph, there's no way those'll hit m—)

With Sylph's flight speed, them hitting her was very unlikely.

However, her expectations were betrayed as the magic Sylph thought she had dodged adjusted its trajectory back toward her.

[Uwaah, the heck!?]

Sylph was caught off guard by the phenomenon of the trajectory being corrected. After all, there had been no sharp turns or sudden elevation changes until now.

The magic the elder had shot at Sylph had the effect of acting as a pointer, a beacon for elements.

[Uwaah, uwawah! Dangit—!]

She was invoking magic while dodging the elves', but any large-scale magic was blocked by Gnome, and Gabriel would sever anything aimed their way.

Even so, since Sylph's speed was definitely out of the ordinary, time dragged on as both sides were worn down.

Had Sylph slowed down a little?

—Now was his chance.

The elder chuckled. However, a person moving at twice his speed bolted past him.

"Wha—… the girl!?"

Even if she could fly quickly, it wasn't as though she could use a decent magical attack. She was a burden.

As such, he hadn't taken the time to stop her.

Nina approached Sylph.

"Sylph-sama! Hear me!"

[!?]

"—This one speaks in words older than time!"

[W-wah! Waaah—!]

Noticing the mana flowing from the young girl, Sylph tried to escape while holding her ears closed and shouting.

However, what had been disguised as her love charm was a binding magic spell composed of nine verses and three declarations split into introduction, body, and conclusion that penetrated into the spirit.

"—By the order of Humans, Dragons, Demons, The Three Lords, and God. Thou, spirit, obey!"

[Uwaaah!]

"Kya—!?"

Mana flowed out between the two. At first, Sylph was trying to run away, but they were gradually drawn toward each other.

The two were enveloped in glowing green light, eventually merging into one large green orb as they drew closer.

[… Awww, I got caught.]

"Sorry about that."

[Pfft, no need to apologize～. I mean, you're on pretty good terms with those wind spirits right?]

"You know? Yeah! All of these good kids have been helping me!"

[Hmph.]

Just as Sylph turned her head away, she snuck a peek back at Nina.

[I don't really mind helping you, but you know～… If you plan on using me, you can't keep hanging around with the other spirits.]

"Eh, no. Pass."

Sylph was surprised by Nina's quick response. She opened her eyes first, followed by her mouth, eventually turning to stare at the girl.

[Why? I'm kinda like these guys' boss, you know?]

"… Even so, I don't want to leave these kids who have helped me."

Filled with resolve, her eyes looked straight at Sylph.

With their mana bound through the binding magic spell, she realized that Sylph's strength exceeded human capability.

Sweat ran down Nina's cheeks as she stared at her.

However, their deadlock was quickly broken.

[Ahahaha! Good～! I acknowledge you! But you deeeefinitely have to play with me!]

"Eh? Ah, un. If that's all…"

And so their contract was concluded successfully.

There were three methods to form a contract with a great spirit.

The first, a contract through mutual consent.

The second, completing the contractual terms presented by the great spirit.

Finally, a contract initiated by the human side, as was the case this time.

It was possible to force the great spirit into compliance by weakening it, since the contract was done through this binding magic spell.

Although it was possible to do so, because it required the ability to make a great spirit surrender as well as a personality compatible with the great spirit's, this method was even more difficult than the other two.

It would be more accurate to say that this third contracting method was a way of making the great spirits, who would otherwise only cause trouble, more docile.

Even the super uninhibited Great Spirit Sylph, who would refuse to bend her personality for any reason, had been a good match with Nina to begin with. Since this girl had gotten the generally capricious wind spirits to lend her their help even within Ilya's memory, this could be said to be a natural result.

Meanwhile, there was a person standing nearby in stupefaction, only just now grasping the situation.

"… It's… over…"

Far from being the one to make Sylph surrender, the girl had snatched away the fruits of his labor. With the hope of having his wishes granted cut off, Fountain Elder Reginald Fritz earned the sympathy of the surrounding elves.

Even so, this too had been Ilya's intention.

[Ilya, we have a problem.]

Ilya canceled her [Clairvoyance] upon hearing a voice come from the stone.

The owner of the voice coming through the stone was Katie, who was on the first floor of the main building… just next door to where Ilya was.

"What happened?"

[The cakes are running out fast. At this rate, they won't even last until noon.]

When she turned her gaze toward the dining hall, Katie was anxiously looking over all of the tables that had sweets on them. Ilya let out a sigh with a hint of exhaustion and spoke into the stone again.

"Roger. I will start cooking more now."

[… Roger.]

"I will be cooking servings for the staff as well, so—"

—Please concentrate wholeheartedly on your duties.

Her voice tried saying that, but…

[[[ YAY～!! ]]]

It was drowned out by a loud chorus of voices.

It might have been a mistake to make the variety of bite-sized cakes that never appeared in their shops.

Even as she reflected on it, Ilya was unable to feel regretful after seeing so many people eating them with smiles on their faces.

 

 

 

*

 

The game tournaments ended up being very popular.

"Rain? Is that tasty?"

With participants saying stuff like that, rain and the like didn't matter to them at all. There were lots of people asking for another tournament to be held — so that those who had won could taste the flavor of victory once again, and even those who had lost could try and win the next time, regardless of the weather.

As something of a black eye on the tournament, Hector won the Chess portion, much to everyone's displeasure.

There was another possible source of dissatisfaction.

"… Hooot…"

"… So hot."

"Cynthia, Katie, don't be lazy, now."

Since Sylph had expended so much in water and wind elements, Rondéville and the surrounding countries were now in the grip of an out-of-season heatwave.

"Pi～…"

Even Haku felt worn out because of the blistering heat.

—This beer is delicious!

Even the guests who normally enjoyed their service were slumped forward over their tables.

"… Haah…"

"… See, isn't this heat too much even for Ilya～?"

For some reason Cynthia looked happy seeing Ilya like that, but the reason for the girl's dampened mood was something else.

It was the people in front of her.

"… Ilya, to the village…"

Despite being worn out from the heat as well, the elder hadn't gone home.

"Elder. Please return home."

"… I can't assent."

"Don't throw a tantrum — please go back to the village."

"… Don't wanna."

He really was acting like a spoiled child.

Ilya's decision to forcibly send the elves who'd come with him as escorts back to the inn had been the correct one. If they had seen the elder acting like this, it wouldn't have been strange if a revolution broke out in Fountain Village.

"Stop that. You weren't able to subdue Sylph. Am I wrong?"

"… No."

"Then—"

"… I need you."

Ilya wanted to back away from the bottom of her heart after hearing that come out of a grown man's mouth.

The only feeling that welled up from having a man born more than two hundred years ago depending on her was disgust.

Even if she'd prepared an excuse to get him to give up, it was no good. Giving the impression of being a woman who took advantage of people's goodwill was no good either.

She didn't know what those patriarchs would do if he turned hostile and ended up dying because he had to be physically removed.

She let out a sigh at how cornered she was in this situation.

"Please, just dislike me…"

"… I'll decide my own will."

He'd said something pretty cool, but everything else was a mess.

 

 

The person who came over to Ilya thinking, "Isn't it fine to leave well enough alone?" was Katie, who should have been serving tables.

"Ilya… can you think of anything…?"

Katie, looking like she could barely stay standing in the heat, begged Ilya.

Even though it was an easy thing to ask, it wasn't so easy to come up with a way to deal with the heat.

(Warm baths… hotpot… vegetables that lower body temperature aren't in season right now…)

It happened just as she started looking around trying to think of an idea.

Sitting outside the window was a snow sculpture that had kept its shape even in this heat wave thanks to her magic.

You'd have to undo the magic to take advantage of the snow's coolness.

However, the moment the magic was released, they would melt.

"… In that case, let's melt them."

Puzzled, Katie tilted her head.

When someone is feeling listless in front of another person, it sets off a vicious cycle of making that person feel listless too.

So she decided to do it sooner rather than later.

 

 

 

*

 

Lunéville sat in darkness, with only the streetlamps casting light.

When the man sensed someone's presence in a back alley, he nonchalantly turned into it, slipping off the street as though to disappear.

"… Why are you here?"

The woman who should have been back at the man's office gave him a faint smile when she saw him.

After that brief moment, however, the woman returned to her usual expressionless self and took an envelope out from within her clothes.

"A mission. Here are your orders."

"… I see. I'd like to ask a question, then."

Looking at the contents of the letter, the man immediately adjusted his plans.

The woman listened to his request and nodded, melting back into the darkness.

With this, they could reinforce their observations on the worrisome matters.

He felt relieved for a brief moment.

"… It's hot."

Seeing the woman off, the man muttered a complaint and, along with a sigh, switched gears as he walked back out of the alley.

Although the street wasn't as dark thanks to the lamps, it was still dark.

The man didn't lose sight of the road even in the darkness, walking forward in silence.

 

 

 

*

 

Water droplets splashed. Bodies were getting wet.

Smiles and joyful shouts filled a certain plot of land that had been used as a material depository up until just a few days before.

However, it was no longer that vacant lot. There was a huge circular tank filled to the brim with water.

"This pool… feels so nice…"

Floating at the edge of it, Katie muttered with an expression that looked like she was in a trance.

Holding onto a round swimming ring next to her, Ria was also floating in the water with a slack face.

They were, of course, wearing swimsuits. The suits had been mass produced by Ilya in different sizes, types, and genders through alchemy, and rented out by the guild.

Ilya's use of the skill, which could even be called reckless, was simply because she wanted to see so many women in swimsuits.

However, to these people who weren't used to playing at water parks, the swimsuits evoked a sense of shame similar to underwear.

Even so, Ilya didn't give up.

"Pools are such a luxury though, right～?"

"You'll feel like you've turned into an Ojou-sama once you rent one of these swimsuits!"

"Don't you want to enjoy yourself in a pool and feel great too?"

With emotion overruling reason, she skillfully played on people's desire to feel like part of the upper elite.

Her actions were shameless, but she didn't regret them, nor would she repent.

"Kya～! Stop it～"

"Aha, being unprepared is one's greatest enemy!"

Because what was unfolding before her now was the sight of many girls giggling and playing around.

"Ilya should come in too～"

"See～, Haku thinks so too, right～?"

"Pi!"

Anyhow, adults like Ria and Katie were cooling themselves off near the edge. The farther in you went, the more children there were, because of a water fountain that was spraying water around in the center.

Water was sucked in from the ducts along the outer edges of the pool. The water flowing into the underground tank was cooled through the use of a water stone meant for refrigerators, then filtered by a water stone with filtration properties, improving the water's sanitation.

That clean water was then drawn back up into the middle with water stones that could pump water.

"Really, I never thought you could use the water stones meant for pumping wells like this."

The one who made that remark next to Ilya was the birdkin, Elias, who had been rescued from Sylph.

He was following Nina with his eyes as she swam about energetically, but he could only watch since he was still recovering.

The vice branch manager had told Ilya that she had to supervise it all since she was the 'cause' of it, so she was watching over the pool from the shade alongside Elias.

After waving back at Nina, who was waving at him at a furious pace, he turned to Ilya and bowed his head.

"Again, thank you. It's thanks to you that I can be here like this."

"Please raise your head."

Ilya shook her head at Elias, who looked up when told to.

"The one who saved you is Nina. Not me, not Pasha, nor the elders. We only helped her do it."

"… Even so—"

"In particular, I'm not the one you should be saying that to."

She had almost not recognized Elias at first. Even though she had no more interest in men back when she was involved with Nina and the others than she did now, even apathy had its limits.

At any rate, what Ilya did had just been her job.

"I've received my reward, after all."

When she had first proposed putting out a commission, Nina had broken down in tears because she had no money.

What Ilya then proposed to the crying girl was to change it from a monetary reward to an item reward.

An item reward allowed the client to take the items obtained as a result of the commission as payment, or to give the items to the branch and have the branch pay them money for the items. However, this method wasn't applicable in cases where countries or lords were the commission proprietor. There was also the restriction that it was limited to guild members only.

They went with the latter in this case, so the Crystal Pillar of Wind, which had been knocked out of place by Sylph using it as she pleased, was retrieved and transferred to the guild.

"… I see. It would be rude to impose further, then, wouldn't it."

"Yes."

Ilya gave Elias, who was smiling wryly, a smile with no ulterior motives behind it.

"W-why do you two have such a nice atmosphere going oooon!?"

Soaking in the water far away, Nina shouted. Seeing her like that, Sylph just laughed.

When she told Nina that Elias had just thrown her over for Ilya, she started chasing her for teasing her. Pasha somehow got involved, and it eventually turned into a clamor that dragged Gabriel in too.

"… In truth, I was worried."

"Worried?"

Looking at Nina, Elias nodded.

"When I kept Sylph company so that he wouldn't hurt her… I was worried that she might end up being taken away by some other guy…"

"… Haah."

No way.

Did he sense Ilya's shock?

Elias turned to her with an embarrassed smile.

"In the Association, there's a saying that goes: a woman's heart and the winter wind change oft. You worry about that, right?"

The wording was probably different from the original since she'd translated it through a skill, but the Japanese saying went: a woman's heart and autumn weather.

(Was 'winter wind' how it went in the English version?)

Either way, both proverbs claimed that a woman's love for a man was something easy to change, with violent ups and downs of emotion.

"If that's the case, it's alright. Haven't you two overcome the winter winds?"

"… We have, haven't we."

His profile showed no uneasiness or insecurity, as though to demonstrate how their bond had deepened from this recent incident.

Ilya wondered if that was really true, though.

Even though they understood that their love for each other was mutual, both the man and woman of different races (Gabriel and Pasha) sought out a way to become the same.

The girl (Nina), who couldn't suppress her love and went on a life-risking journey to save her lover, had gone so far as to pick a fight with a great spirit.

And the man (the elder), who hadn't been able to have his sincerity (?) accepted even after abandoning his duties to travel so far to court her, still couldn't give up on love.

As long as it isn't a calamity, good weather is something that can be enjoyed with a bit of effort.

"… Love… it's harder to predict than the weather, isn't it."

"Eh—"

Did Elias take that as a prediction that Nina would be taken away by some other man? His face cramped up.

Come to think of it, Ilya recalled there was also a saying that went 'a man's heart and the autumn sky.'

"Please, make sure to take care of Nina, alright?"

(I won't forgive you if you make her sad, you know?)

When she told him that with a smile on her face, he nodded with a serious look.

In the end, Elias headed over to the pool to stop Nina and everyone else. The trouble was settled the moment they all looked in Ilya's direction.

"You know that Ilya will get mad if you keep going, right?"

Those words were even more effective than he had thought they'd be.

And so everyone obediently resumed playing around.

Satisfied to see Nina and the others wave at her with smiles on their faces, Ilya devoted herself to resting in the shade, alone.

As their supervisor, she prayed that this fun time would last forever without any accidents.