Re:Library

49 Udon, is it?

「……Where am I?」

「Why would I know? Because you suddenly ran away and got lost」

「Puni!」

「Uu….sorry….」

Being lectured by her little sister and slime, she felt pathetic.

However, the situation wasn’t about to resolve itself. For now, they had to grasp the situation.

They were currently in a forest.

There were trees with broad leaves and grass around them.

She didn’t run for that long, so it should be rather close to the village.

However, since she ran in a random direction, she had no idea how to come back.

「Well, I can fly, so it’s okay」

「Yay, we are so competent」

She should be able to see the snowman from the treetops.

In other words, they weren’t lost yet.

Just when she felt relieved, she heard a sound from the bushes nearby.

Some sort of small animal……she thought and turned around.

However, the one to appear wasn’t a squirrel, snake, or rat, it was a human girl.

「Waaaaa! Humaaaaaaan!」

Iris was about to run away on reflex. However, Punigami moved and blocked her escape route. Thanks to that, Iris managed to somewhat calm down and hid behind Eclipse.

「……Why are you hiding?」

The human girl looked at Iris in wonder.

She was quite small. About six years old.

However, she gave off an unusually calm aura.

At least, she was much calmer than Iris hiding behind her little sister.

After analyzing the situation, Iris felt sad about herself. Even so, she didn’t plan to stop hiding behind Eclipse.

「Big sister Iris is always like that with strangers」

「Mmm……weirdo」

「I think so too. What a weirdo」

Eclipse said something terrible.

Her little sister’s words stabbed into her heart.

She couldn’t stand being abused any longer, so she squeezed her courage and stepped forward.

Her legs wobbled but she was certainly standing.

「Puni」

「You’re doing great」praised Punigami.

「Fu, fufufu……this much is nothing! S-So why are you in t-this forest all alone……!?」

Iris asked the girl while inwardly praising herself for her conversational abilities.

「Haven’t you saw it too? Two dragons came from the sky…….I’ve tried to run away with mother and father, but we’ve got separated……I thought I shouldn’t carelessly wander around, so I’ve been waiting here ever since」

The girl calmly answered.

She was small yet her mature beyond her age.

Still, her being here was absolutely their fault…..

Have to apologize.

「Sorry…..」

「Puni」

Punigami apologized with her.

What a nice slime.

Unfortunately, only Iris was able to understand him.

「Why are you apologizing?」

「No, I mean……」

Iris could find the words to describe the situation.

Instead, Punigami was the one to explain but no one understood.

「You know, those two dragons. Their names are Jessica and Marion, and they live in the same village as us. We flew there on their backs. That’s why we are sorry」

That’s why Eclipse was the one explaining.

Eclipse spoke human language in an easy to understand way.

But whether she believed or not was another matter.

「Rode her on the dragon’s back? Humans can’t possibly do that」

Indeed, it wasn’t something humanly possible.

In fact, Sheryl couldn’t even climb on the dragon’s back by herself.

However, Sheryl was the only human with the rest being something like demonic weapons of mass destruction, guardian deities, or slimes.

It would be faster to show her instead on fruitlessly persuading her.

「There are dragons near the village, so we are going to show you a nice place. Your parents might be back in the village already, let’s go together. If they aren’t there, I’ll search with you」

「Un……alright. I’m worried about following strangers, but since you look harmless I’ll believe you」

The girl said with a composed expression.

Deemed harmless, Iris and Eclipse let the girl ride on Punigami went forward.

「Ah, we have to confirm where the snowman is」

「Puni」

「Eh, you remember the way we came from? Then lead the way」

「Puni!」

Punigami proceeded forward with great confidence.

After five minutes of walking, they reached the snowman.

She was just running around randomly before, but she didn’t actually go too far.

「Waa, amazing! White! Big! What is this!?」

She was a calm girl, but she immediately jumped off Punigami with sparkling eyes the moment she saw the snowman.

She ignored the dumbfounded Marion and Sheryl as she touched the snowman.

「Cold! What’s going on? What is it made of?」

Apparently, it was the girl’s first time seeing snow.

This region was so hot even during winter, that was to be expected.

「Fufu. This is a snowman made of snow」

The child-loving Jessica explained with a smile.

「Snow! I’ve heard of it! First time seeing it! What is it doing here!?」

「We brought it here」

「How? It’s so big, how?」

The girl asked in a loud voice.

What a curious child.

「Actually, we are dragons」

「Eh, that’s a lie」

「It’s true, look, Henshin!」

Jessica transformed into a dragon and roared to the sky.

「See? A proper dragon」

「A-Amazing! A true dragon! You won’t eat me, right!?」

「I won’t. The dragons I’m acquainted with don’t eat humans」

「Oh! I had no idea!」

The girl said in excitement.

「By the way, the red-haired girl over there is my daughter」

「Eeeh, that’s true. She has horns on her head! And a tail too!」

Having said so, the girl circled behind Marion and flipped her skirt to observe her tail closely.

「W-Wait! You are going a bit too far!」

Marion escaped behind her mother’s front leg as she held her skirt down.

「You’re at fault for swinging this adorable tail around」

「Indeed. I thought of peeking under Marion-san’s skirt myself on many occasions. To actually make it a reality…..I don’t know who you are but I’m impressed!」

Sheryl gave the girl thumbs up.

Come to think of it, Iris forgot to ask the girl’s name.

Perhaps it was a good time for introductions.

「Etto……..my name is Iris. This is my little sister Eclipse. This one is Punigami. The one with a dumb face is Sheryl and the “no ja” person is Muriel. The dragon before you is Jessica and the girl whose skirt you tried to flip is Marion」

She briefly introduced her party.

She thought the introduction was a bit too rough, but the girl seemed to understand.

「Iris, Eclipse, Punigami, Sheryl, Muriel, Jessica, Marion…..un, I’ve remembered! Ah, my name is Maruka!」

「Maruka. How about we go to the village to look for your parents?」

「Un. But did they even return?」

Marika tilted her head. ¹

At that moment.

She heard multiple voiced from the forest.

Iris hid behind Punigami and observed.

About a dozen people came out of the forest.

The moment they saw Jessica they immediately scattered.

Except for one man and one woman.

「Maruka!」²

「Maruka is about to be eaten by the dragon!」

Both of them screamed.

The moment the dragons came, they ran for their lives, separated with their daughter, and found her again, except, there was a dragon right beside her.

The situation was beyond terrifying.

「Mother, father. It’s alright. This dragon…..」

「Damn it, come here, dragon *******!」

「Ah, Maruka! Come here, quickly!」

They two haven’t heard their daughter and desperately screamed with pale faces.

However, Maruka didn’t try to escape for some reason, so they came up with another plan.

「Kuh, Maruka must be too scared to move! Alright, I’ll save her! I ask everyone else to attract the dragon’s attention!」

「Alright! Be careful, dear!」

Motivated by the courageous couple, the other villagers stood up.

「Everyone, let’s save Maruka! Throw rocks or anything else and attract the dragon’s attention!」

「「「Ou!」」」

They picked up rocks and branches around them before throwing them at Jessica.

Of course, the attacks of that caliber were nothing.

In the first place, motivation wasn’t enough to solve the situation. They were too afraid to come closer.

The rocks thrown from so far away barely even reached Jessica.

Even wouldn’t have been effective even against an ordinary wolf.

But Jessica could read the mood, so she turned and roared at the villagers.

Her roar had a tinge of amusement to it, but the villagers were genuinely glad to see the effect.

The father rushed towards Maruka, picked her up, and returned back to the villagers.

「Oh, Maruka! Are you alright!? It seems you are fine. Let’s run away! Otherwise, this dragon will eat us all!」

「Right! There is one more dragon somewhere around here……it’s not the time to be worried about water. Why did the dragons come here!?」

「Wait, wait! This dragon is a good one. She won’t eat anyone」

While in her father’s arms, Maruka tried her best to tell the truth.

Of course, no one listened.

「Maruka, poor girl…..she has auditory hallucinations….」

「Get yourself together, Maruka! Dragons can’t talk!」

They do, though.

「I not going to eat you, you can stop running」

Said Jessica to the running villagers in a nonchalant voice.

The villagers froze in place and slowly turned around.

「….It spoke?」

「Hallucination?」

「Did everyone hear it?」

「Is it true?」

The dragon’s ability to speak doesn’t seem to be a part of common knowledge.

They were more surprised at the fact she spoke instead of the eating part.

「Henshin!」

Jessica turned back into a human amidst the flash of light.

Seeing the dragon suddenly become a beautiful woman, the villagers’ pupil turned into dots.

Iris herself was quite surprised the moment she first saw that. How nostalgic.

「Ta-da. The dragon was actually a beautiful lady all this time!」

「Wrong, mother! This is transformation, that one was the real one!」

「Mou, you’re always paying attention to small things. Both are me. Anyway, I’m not going to eat you, you can relax」

If a dragon were to tell you it won’t eat you, it would’ve been rather lacking in persuasiveness. But when it comes to young women, the situation is reversed.

「See? I can talk. Dragons don’t eat humans. Even though I’m not a dragon anymore….」

「U-Umu……it seems so….am I dreaming?」

「This dragon is prettier than me…..how frustrating……」

Having said so, Maruka’s parents pulled on each other’s cheeks.

It was painful enough to make them frown.

The other villagers too used a variety of methods to distinguish reality from a dream.

「Doesn’t seem like a dream」

「The dragon turned into a beauty……」

「But why is the dragon here in the first place?」

「I had my eyes glued to the dragon and I didn’t notice the people around it….」

「All of them are girls 」

「Are they dragons too?」

「And what’s with that white object behind them?」

「I’ve heard the rumors…….this might be a snowman!」

「You mean it’s made of snow? Why is the snow……」

「When the snow melts it turns into water, right? As long as we have this…..water won’t be a problem anymore!」

「Udon party!」

The villagers looked at the snowman and let their imagination run wild.

Their impressions of a dragon might be warped, but they guessed about the snowman pretty fast.

Still…..what was that『udon』 there were talking about?

Having heard a new word, it was Iris’ turn to stare in wonder.

48 Wawawa!

「For now, leave the snowballs outside the village. Then how about Jessica-san and Marion-san transform into humans? I don’t think they’ll talk with us otherwise」

「You’re right. Even so, Sheryl. You’re saying something decent for a change」

Marion said something inconsiderate.

「How mean, I’m always proper! Besides, we can’t count on Iris-sama right bow, so I have to work hard…..」

「Humans are scary, humans are scary…….」

Iris pushed her face into Punigami as she trembled.

After all, she was about to be surrounded by strangers and would have to explain the situation to them.

She was close to the boiling point just by thinking about it.

「Puni!」

「Even if you say that…….」

Unless all the people in the world suddenly turn into idiots like Sheryl, she won’t be able to face them calmly.

Especially the kind known as grannies, they tend to talk to you without any reason whatsoever. ¹

A being to be feared.

「Mother, let’s leave the snowballs here」

「Then let’s stack them vertically to make a snowman. Ei」

Jessica put her snowball on top of Marion’s.

「Yay! A snowman! Thank you, Jessica!」

Eclipse ran around in joy on Jessica’s back.

After all, she truly looked forward to making a snowman but held back for the sake of the village.

Thanks to Jessica’s wits, the snowman has finally been completed.

She knew the village is going to use it as water but was happy nonetheless.

「Fufu, you’re welcome. I’m happy when Eclipse-chan is happy」

「Jessica is kind. Like everyone’s mother」

「Ara, thank you. That means you all are my daughters」

「I-I’m the only true daughter!」

「Mou, Marion is such a spoiled child」

「T-That’s not a problem……..I only made the relationships clear…….let’s transform into humans already!」

Marion screamed to divert the attention and released light from her body.

She transformed back into a girl……..however, she forgot to let Iris and the rest get down.

Therefore, Iris and the rest formed a human tower on her small body.

「G-Get down already!」

Marion was pretty strong even in her human form, so she could handle this much.

However, carrying two people and slime on her back wasn’t exactly comfortable.

「Were you to tell us to get down before transforming, we would have done it long ago」

「Y-You should be aware of that!」

This dragon wants too much.

Punigami was the first to jump down with Iris and Sheryl landing on him a moment later.

While they were at it, Jessica too turned human.

For some reason, Eclipse on top of her.

「Piggyback~」

「Arara. You stayed on my back on purpose, Eclipse-chan」

「Because I wanted a ride」

「This Mistress tried really hard to get down by herself, Eclipse is a cheater. But you’re cute, so I forgive you」

Muriel had a hard time getting down the dragon’s back despite being a Guardian Deity.

Yet she forgave Eclipse just like that, her cuteness was indeed god-level.

「Iris-sama, how are we going to explain it to the villagers? Where are they anyway?」

As Sheryl pointed out, there were no people around.

Perhaps the got scared by the dragon and ran away somewhere.

「Punipuni」

「Yes, We have to find some people first………I leave everything in your capable hands!」

「……Are you not going to search, Iris-sama?」

「You know, someone has to guard the snowballs」

「Let’s look around together, Iris」

「It’s impossible, Eclipse. She would run away the moment she senses any」

「As expected of Marion. You are absolutely right!」

「……You shouldn’t be proud here」

「No, I’m just happy to have such understanding friends……」

The moment Iris said that, Marion instantly turned red.

Iris too realized that she said an incredibly embarrassing thing and her face became hot.

「Wawawa! That didn’t happen! I didn’t say anything!」

That being said, everyone heard her perfectly, so there was no turning back.

Pressured by the reality, she buried her face in Punigami.

「Where should I hide my face!? Where should I hide my face!?」

Marion too had a fit.

「Punigami-chan’s body is big, so it should be enough for one more person」

「I-I see!」

Marion followed her mother’s advice and buried her face in Punigami too.

Due to that, Marion and Iris met each other in the middle of him.

「「Wawawa!」」

Escapism brought them together which in turn created even more embarrassment.

Iris felt so embarrassed she wanted to disappear. Iris lost her mind as she ran away in a random direction.

Marion dashed the opposite way judging by the screams.

「Puni!」

「Iris, wait! Where are you going!?」

Punigami and Eclipse chased after them.

Iris herself didn’t know where she was going, so she chose not to answer.

47 Flying South

「「Henshin! Gyaoon!」」¹

Early in the morning.

The dragons transformed into their dragon forms outside the village and raised a roar.

To be exact, they simply undid their human transformation……but they spent most of their time in human form. Perhaps the human form could be considered their true form right now.

「Cold! Cause the body surface became bigger it feels even colder……!」

「Iris, warm me up!」

Jessica and Marion trembled.

Even the ground trembled due to their size.

「Give me a second. Giga Inferno Flame!」

The moment Iris released magical power at Marion

「Giga Inferno Flame」

Eclipse did the same for Jessica

「Aah…….here it comes. Thank you, Eclipse-chan, Iris-chan」

「I’m saved. I was about to hibernate right here」

The dragons let out a voice of relief.

On the side, the Lord, Sheryl stood with hands on her hips saying「that would be troubling」.

「If you suddenly hibernate here, the villagers wouldn’t mind, but the outsiders might be confused. It’s not my problem if you become a subjugation target」

「But I feel so sleepy when it’s cold. It’s a natural feeling for red dragons. Right, Marion?」

「Yes. Can’t do anything about it」

Even the stubborn Marion said so, perhaps it’s nothing something they could solve with guts and effort.

「Hear me, dragons! In the name of Muriel, the Guardian Deity! Carry the snowballs!」

「Yes, yes, you don’t need to tell me twice」

「Fufu, then I’ll take this one」

The dragons spread their wings and landed on their respective snowballs.

Then they grabbed the snowballs with their four legs and took off.

「On, they are in the air! Amazing power!」

「Amazing! Marion and Jessica are amazing!」

Muriel and Eclipse raised a voice of admiration as they jumped up and down.

「Fufufu……this is the power of dragons……!」

Marion seemed quite happy.

Iris felt a sudden urge to tease her.

「I know you are happy to be praised, but you don’t have to become so red…….」

「That’s how red dragons are originally!」

「Thanks for a proper retort」

Marion always responds to her expectations, what a great existence she is.

She felt at ease just by talking to her.

Please stay as you are, Marion.

「It’s about time we depart」

「Right. Let’s hurry for the sake of thirsty!」

On Marion’s back, there were Iris, Sheryl, and Punigami.

Eclipse and Muriel climbed on Jessica’s back.

With the two snowballs in tow, the dragons rose in the air and flew south.

Wagaka village being their destination point.

A medium-sized village located south.

For a certain reason, this village is always short on water, but this year proved to be especially harsh.

Quite some distance from the Silverlight Barony.

Having confirmed its position on the map yesterday, they should arrive about noon, considering their flying speed.

「Hey, Marion. Your speed is dropping. Do your best」

「Punipuni」

「Fight, Marion-san!」

「It’s easy for you to cheer from my back…..try carrying this thing and fly at the same time!」

Marion roared in anger as she said so.

「Un, then I’ll use stamina recovery magic」

Iris put her hand on Marion’s back and channeled her magical power.

「Oh, it somehow works! Do it again!」

「Eiya!」

「Here it comes! I feel energetic again!」

Marion flapped her wings even more vigorously than the moment they started their journey.

「Ara, amazing. Eclipse-chan. Can I get on of those too?」

「Okay. Ei!」

「Aah……this feels good. Wish I could feel that after cleaning or washing」

「Then I’ll do it again later」

「Thank you, Eclipse-chan. How about becoming my child?」

「I’m your only child! You’re speaking like an old woman!」

「I’m not old at all! See, I’m faster than you! Your mother is still young!」

It seems the age was a forbidden topic for Jessica.

She accelerated even further to prove her youthfulness.

Leaving Marion far behind.

「Too fast, mother!」

「Marion, you can’t lose here」

「B-But it’s mother we are talking about!」

「Don’t whine. Now is the time to surpass your parents! Come on, I’ll supply the magical power」

「Aaah, it’s too much! If you give me so much……ah, my body acts on its own!」

Marion closed in on Jessica with a speed no less of hers.

With some amazing squall.

「Uwaa, uwaaaa!」

Sheryl screamed as she clung to Iris.

「Puniii!」

Punigami too transformed into tentacles and wrapped himself around Iris’ arms and legs to fight the wind pressure.²

「D-Don’t touch there, it tickles……ahiyahiyahiya!」

Sheryl and Punigami didn’t have the intention, but she felt unbearably ticklish nonetheless.

She pushed them away with her elbows having them grab the scales instead.

「Hey there. Don’t pull on the scales so hard. What are you going to do if they come off? I’ll bleed, you know?」

「It’s alright. It’s just a temporary measure. You’re red anyways, it won’t be noticeable even if you bleed」

「The color is not the problem here!」

Ignoring the noisy Marion, Iris made a bubble-like spherical barrier. Then she wrapped herself, Sheryl, and Punigami inside of it and fixed it on Marion’s back.

「You can let go on the scales. There is no wind anymore. With the barrier, you won’t be able to fall even if you want to」

「Oh, amazing, Iris-sama! This barrier is even soft.」

「Punipuni」

Punigami’s soft body hit the soft barrier.

Both of them were springy so it made for a great synergy.

「Having fun on my back……unfair! I want to join!」

「I’ll make another barrier some other time. For now, just focus of flying」

「Uu…..it’s a promise!」

Having said so, Marion stabilized herself in the air.

She forcibly accelerated on Iris’ doping before, but it took a while for her to be able to control her speed.

Jessica too accelerated thanks to Eclipse, there was also a similar bubble on her back.

As a matter of course, Muriel and Eclipse had a fun time playing inside.

「Hey. It became somewhat warmer. You can dispel Giga Inferno Flame now」

As Marion said, there was no snow on the ground anymore.

On the contrary, the ground was green as if was summer.

As if time itself reverted back.

「It seems so. I should cast Giga Cocytus Blizzard on the snowballs instead」

「…..Cold! The snowball is cold! Use it once again on my legs!」

「What a difficult request……」

It was difficult to simultaneously warm her limbs and cool the snowball.

Even then, she still had the leeway to play inside the barrier.

Using multiple spells on top of doing other things, for Iris it was as easy as eating the breakfast.

Eventually, the saw a sea while playing around.

「Amazing! It’s crystal clear! The sand on the beach is white!」

As Sheryl said, it resembled summer in any way possible.

Iris too was a little sweaty.

She thought of using Giga Cocytus Blizzard on herself but came up with a better way.

「In such situations hugging Punigami is the best!」

「Punini!」

Punigami’s body is always cool.

She survived this summer precisely because of Punigami.

This 『somewhat hot』temperature was nothing.

「U-Unfair, Iris-sama. I shall use Punigami-sama to cool down too」

「Punipuni」

「Somewhat stifling」blurted Punigami while being hugged on both sides by Iris and Sheryl.

「Iris. There is a village near the shore. Is this Wagaka village?」

Asked Marion while looking below.

「Probably……uh, there are people there….」

「It’s a village, of course, there are people, What are you even talking about?」

「But…….strangers, scary」

「Then why did you volunteer to carry the snowballs?」

「Water shortage sounded urgent……couldn’t leave them alone」

「You are too good of a demon……should we land in the village?」

「W-Wait…..my heart isn’t ready……can we just drop them from the sky and leave?」

「You can’t! That’s suspicious as hell! They will definitely panic!」

「Is that so?」

She knew perfectly well it was the right village, but pretended not to know since she didn’t want to go there.

「They are already in a panic though. Everyone is running around while looking at us. They might catch insomnia unless we explain the circumstances」

Said Sheryl with a serious face.

「I guess that’s what happens when there are dragons circling above your village…….uuuu, can’t help it…….prepare for landing, Marion…….ugu, my stomach hurts!」

「You’re so against it…..should I land slowly?」

「Don’t be so cruel! Do it swiftly!」

「A-Alright…..!

Marion dived towards the ground.

Following after her, Jessica made a dive as well.

The villagers scattered in all directions like ants.

From their perspective, the two dragons suddenly attacked the village, nothing surprising here.

46 Solving Water Shortage

「Marion, Jessica-san, wake up!」

Having come back to the Silverlight Barony, Iris took off the blanket and woke up the sleeping dragons.

「Uu…..cold……for me to witness the day when Iris comes to wake me up………humiliating……」

「Iris-chan, be usual Iris-chan and sleep…..look, the bed is so fluffy…..」

Hearing Jessica’s words, Iris’ heart wavered for a brief moment.

However, she had things to do.

Iris’ will was hard as steel.

「Arise, oh mighty dragons………Giga Inferno Flame!」

Iris released her rainbow-colored magical power and stretched a hand towards Marion and Jessica.

Magic turned into heat…….producing tiny sparks around them.

「I’m suddenly motivated」

Marion got up.

「That’s bad. I didn’t clean the house for a long time」

Jessica too remembered her work as the housewife.

「Cleaning is fine but……instead of that I want the two splendid dragons to carry something for me」

Perhaps reacting to the word splendid, Marion grinned.

「Y-You’re so hopeless. If you insist so far, I don’t mind helping you」

「Arara. Does being praised by Iris make you so happy?」

「I-It doesn’t! Don’t say strange things, mother!」

Marion turned bright red, rolled back on the bed, and pushed her face into the pillow.

Seeing her reaction, Iris too felt embarrassed.

「Anyway! I’m waiting outside, so come as soon as you can!」

Iris hurriedly escaped outside.

Punigami, Muriel, Eclipse, and Sheryl were waiting for her outside the church.

「N? What about those two?」

「T-They will come soon!」

Indeed, Marion and Jessica came ten seconds later.

For some reason, Marion was still hugging a pillow.

Since she couldn’t work like that, she hugged Punigami instead and put the pillow back on its place.

「So what do you want mother and me to carry?」

「That thing」

Iris pointed at the two snowballs they left outside the village.

The moment the dragons saw them, their eyes opened wide.

「Big! Eh, what’s that?」

「We wanted to make a snowman and that’s how it ended up」

「Are you idiots!?」

Marion’s face was full of heartfelt frustration.

Then Eclipse chimed in.

「We aren’t idiots」

「Ah, I didn’t really mean to call Eclipse an idiot…..」

「It was Eclipse who suggested making a snowman」

Iris enlightened the ignorant Marion.

「Eh, is that so….no, but, this…..sorry, Eclipse」

「Okay, I forgive you. Instead of that, carry that snowball」

「Carry where……? Didn’t you want to make a snowman?」

「We did. We wanted to make a snowman, but there is a water shortage in the south, so we are carrying it there」

Eclipse answered with a smile.

「You’ve spent so much effort making these snowballs, all for the sake of some strangers…….Eclipse, you’re such a good girl」

「How admirable. I want to take you home」

「I’m your only child!」

Or so the dragons said as they patted Eclipse’s head.

However, Iris was the one to suggest carrying the snowballs to the southern island.

She suggested it immediately after she heard about it from Roshe.

If it’s the dragons, they might just be able to carry it.

However, Marion and Jessica climbed into the bed and turn into something resembling Iris.

That’s why iris practiced Katie’s defining technique on the way back.

It was much easier than expected and she successfully woke up the two.

「But that thing is definitely cold, right? We are bad with cold things」

「Eclipse and I will support you with Giga Inferno Flame, so it’s alright」

「Won’t the snowballs melt?」

「For the snowballs it’s Giga Cocytus Blizzard」

「You can even use this one……」

「Well, I didn’t practice yet, but it’s basically doing the opposite. Easy peasy」

「I see…..if the temperature isn’t a problem, it seems doable」

Marion muttered as she calmly observed the snowballs.

Jessica looked at the sky and became worried about the time.

「It’s evening already. I don’t know how far south it is but isn’t it a bit too late?」

「Then we’ll depart tomorrow morning」

「Eh? Can you wake up in the morning, Iris-chan?」

Jessica said something rude.

「I’ve been playing with everyone since early morning! I don’t want to hear it from someone who slept the whole day!」

「Well, you know……..it was cold, so I had no choice…..」

Jessica averted her eyes in guilt.

「Anyway, we are carrying the snowballs tomorrow morning, right? I’ll bake some cookies to eat on the way!」

Sheryl clutched her fist.

She is trustworthy when it comes to sweets.

「Wai, cookies」

「This Mistress wishes us a safe journey. A prayer of the Guardian Deity」

「Eclipse and I should practice our magic. We have to master Giga Inferno Flame and Giga Cocytus Blizzard」

「Okay. Is it that difficult?」

「It’s ridiculously easy, let’s quickly do it and go to bed」¹

「Is that so? I’ve played a lot today, so I’ll sleep a lot」

Eclipse voiced her desire to sleep.

Iris saw a new comrade in her and became happy.

「The we’ll sleep early to prepare for tomorrow too. Even for dragons, carrying the snowballs of such a size is somewhat tiring」

「Are? You are going to sleep again even though you’ve slept the whole day………?」

Iris was surprised.

She thought that sleeping the whole day was her unique skill.

「I’m not sleepy at all, but if you dispel Giga Inferno Flame I can fall asleep even here」

「…….Could it be the red dragons hibernate during the whole winter?」

「Not the whole of it, only the coldest period. Everyone must be already in hibernation back in the dragon’s village」

Jessica said nonchalantly.

「Sorry for forcing you to go against your instincts……」

「Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine. The monsters are always glad to serve strong demons. If it’s Iris-chan asking, I’ll listen. Right, Marion?」

「I-I’m not thinking about something serving Iris…..! 」

「Mmm…..then why do you like Iris-chan so much? Perhaps there is something else besides instincts at play」

「There is no like! I’m normal! Mother is mean!」

Marion screamed on top of her lungs and ran down the hill.

She was about as red as she was in her dragon form.

「Iris-sama is somewhat red too」

「Did you catch a cold, big sister Iris?」

「Warm yourself and go to bed」

「It’s not cold! It’s nothing! It’s just…..Giga Inferno Flame warmed my body and hastened the flow of blood!」

「Punii」

「The way you make excuses resembles that of Marion」noticed Punigami.

「Fufu, Iris-chan, please get along with Marion. Well then, I’m going to chase after her. You can cancel Giga Inferno Flame whenever. Bye, bye」

She asked for Marion’s sake.

Of course, she meant being friends.

There should be no deeper meaning.

Or so it was supposed to be, Jessica’s voice was so full of meaning Iris ended up imagining different things.

She decided to stop thinking and went to bed.

「Arere? What about magic practice?」

「We’ll figure it out on the way」

「Alright」

「Puni」

「Don’t forget to dispel Giga Inferno Flame before sleeping」said Punigami reading the mood.

Thanks to him, the dragons managed to avoid insomnia.

45 Apple Pie

「Apples are this town’s specialty. Of course, you can eat them as they are, but making something like an apple pie would be much better. We have plenty here, so don’t hold yourself back」

Iris and the rest, who were invited into the church, received an apple pie and tea.

It was a sister-san from the church who brought it.

Iris was about to scream「Human!」but she held herself back for it would’ve been rude.

Fortunately, she was the silent type and it ended up without a conversation.

How fortunate.

「Tasty! As tasty as chocolate!」

Eclipse spoke with her mouth stuffed completely with the apple pie.

It was time to scold her for the lack of manners, but she looked too adorable to be scolded.

「It’s delicious. I’m making sweets as a hobby but this is a bit above my level」

「The Cunningham Viscounty has always been famous for its apples. That being said, the Silverlight Barony didn’t lose by too much in that regard」

「Ah, I’ve heard about it from my father. But there are no apple trees anymore…….but if we do plant some, we would be able to harvest delicious apples! After all, it’s a land filled with Iris-sama and Eclipse-sama’s magical power!」

Sheryl took another piece with great expectations all over her face.

「That’s it, that’s what I wanted to talk about. Iris and your little sister, Eclipse, right? Who are you?」

「Etto……」

The Guardian Deity of this town, Roshe, smiled and directed her inquisitive eyes at them.

She successfully deceived the inquisitor that came some time ago.

However, that’s because she’s an idiot.

Roshe seemed rather intelligent.

A casual answer won’t be able to deceive her.

「Iris and Eclipse are the Guardian Deities together with This Mistress. Iris was the one to resurrect This Mistress. She should be praised」

「Oh, is that so…….I do indeed sense divine presence from them」

Said Roshe with interest.

Eclipse tilted her head with a confused face.

「Divine presence? From Big Sister Iris and me?」

「Yes. You are cherished by the people of the Silverlight Barony greatly 」

Come to think of it, the inquisitor, Katie, said something along those lines.

She let it slide the last time……..but perhaps something inside her changed because of people’s faith.

「But there is something much more powerful than divine presence present in you. There are plenty of exceptions when a human becomes a god……..aren’t you a rare specimen?」

「Did you recognize our identity…….?」

「Yes. But it’s alright. I don’t plan to spread it. Well, even if I do spread the news, only selected few would be interested」

「As expected of a goddess……defeated in one hit……」

While feeling impressed, Iris also thought of the demons back at the Kurifot continent as pitiful.

If a demon becomes a Guardian Deity of a neighboring territory, no one minds it.

No one hates demons anymore.

No one cares enough.

If the demon race suddenly migrates here in its entirety, it might actually go quite smoothly.

「There are many kinds of gods. A former demon becoming a god is not that strange. Enough about that, when did you become a Guardian Deity, Roshe?」

「Right after you disappeared. Father ascended to become a god in Heaven, so I inherited his position」

「I see. So Gashe went to Heaven. In the past, we competed with our apples every year. This Mistress wants to try once again」

「Visit me again in a few decades. At that time, everything would be possible」

「Looking forward to it. Sheryl. We are going to revive the apple gardens. Next time, This Mistress shall win」

「Yes, as you wish!」

「Sure, I won’t lose.」

Replied Roshe with expectation.

「Punipuni」

Punigami, colored as an apple pie, raised his voice.

「Ah, okay. It’s time we come home. We still have to finish the snowman」

「I see. You were pushing those snowballs to make a snowman. What a dynamic idea」

Roshe seemed to be impressed.

「It’s my idea」

「I see. What a brilliant mind you have」

「Ehehe」

Eclipse was happy to receive praise.

Roshe might look young but she’s a proper human. Or more like a proper god.

「Come to think of it. The village to the south of here suffers from the lack of water. If only I could bring snow there, but it’s rather difficult, as expected」

Or so Roshe casually muttered.

And Iris casually thought.

If we bring these snowballs there, it should solve the problem.

However, the south is hot.

They would melt halfway.

But Iris’ magical power was immeasurable.

Everything is possible with magic.

「……Might as well try」

44 The Guardian Deity of the Neighboring Town

「I-It was a close one, Iris-sama……If we were to break this gate with our snowball…..」

「Sheryl is a noble after all. Breaking the gates of other territory’s town……..means war?」

「Hieee……..I’m scared just imagining it」

If you break it accidentally, some lords might forgive that.

However, the two snowballs rolled directly towards the gates.

Almost like a siege weapon.

Even if their side didn’t want to, the other side would definitely interpret this act as an attack.

「We ended up coming here as we played the game of tag. Then you came immediately after. You’ve almost collided with the gate」

「Puni」

「I’m saved. Seeing this limitless snowfield, I completely let my guard down…….」

「Nice, you two」

「Ehem」

「Puni!」

Having been praised, Muriel and Punigami proudly puffed their chests.

It was unknown where Punigami’s chest was, but he definitely went through the motions.

「This should be………the neighbor of the Silverlight Barony, Cunningham Viscounty. It has a lot of tasty apples. Since we came all the way here, might as well buy some. We can preserve them for winter」

「No, no. Perhaps you should consider moving these snowballs away first. See, the gatekeepers looking at us with blue faces……wait, humans! Uhiyaaa!」

Locking eyes with gatekeepers, Iris reflexively hid behind Punigami.

Forget about the dirt enchantment.

One way or another, strangers were much scarier.

「Puni」

「No, no, too many strangers. I shall leave the rest to you」

Iris had to spend a whole day’s worth of mental power to go shopping.

Besides, the circumstances were rather troublesome to handle a conversation without panicking.

They will definitely ask about the snowballs.

She had no confidence to provide an explanation.

「W-Who the hell are you!? Why did you bring such big snowballs to this town!?」

As she thought, gatekeepers came asking.

They sound quite frightened, but Iris, being even more frightened, couldn’t respond.

「We wanted to make a snowman」

Eclipse honestly answered.

「Snowman? Don’t joke with me! As if someone would this for such a stupid reason!」

「I’m not joking」

They didn’t believe Eclipse causing her to pout.

But the keeper wasn’t at fault.

Iris shared his thoughts on the subject.

「Excuse me…….the girl didn’t lie. We only wanted to make a snowman, it’s a coincidence we came here. We are going back immediately, please forgive us」

「Unbelievable. In the first place, where did you come from? Who on earth are you?」

「Etto………I’m from the neighboring territory…….Baroness Sheryl Silverlight」

Sheryl cautiously introduced herself.

The two gatekeepers thought she was making fun of them and raised their voices.

「Are you making fun of us!?」

「As if there are nobles who roll snowballs all the way from another territory!」

「……..You might not believe it, but there is one right here……」

Sheryl’s speech and outfit had zero nobility to them.

Making them believe her was profoundly difficult.

「You lot. Unbelievable it might be, Sheryl is indeed the Lord of a territory. This Muriel vouches for her」

「M? Are you something amazing?」

「This Mistress is the Guardian Deity of the Silverlight Barony. The Guardian Deity speaks for her. Are you doubting God’s words?」

Said Muriel with overwhelming confidence.

But the two gatekeepers weren’t particularly impressed.

「Wasn’t the Guardian Deity of the Silverlight Barony named Iris?」

「Yeah. She turned the wilderness into a grassland, she even made a lake. She’s an amazing goddess. There is no way she’s someone with that stupid face」

「H-How dare you! You had better remember me! Once This Mistress regains her power, you’re in for a divine punishment!」

Being insulted, Muriel furiously shouted.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t very intimidating.

The gatekeepers were confused and decide to discuss with each other first.

「They are suspicious. Should we throw them in prison for the time being?」

And they reached an outrageous conclusion.

A girl appeared from behind the gate.

Her age was about 12.

Her appearance was proper, but due to her short hair, she somewhat resembled a beautiful boy.

But since she wore a miniskirt, she was undeniably female.

However, she didn’t feel like a child at all.

The reason being, her aura was far too different from any human.

From those close to Iris, Muriel would be the most likely comparison.

In other words, a god.

「N? Isn’t it Roshe? As small as always」

Muriel happily said and tried to approach her.

But before she could do that, the gatekeepers got in her way.

「How dare you address Roshe-sama without honorifics!」

「What a rude child!」

Seeing the gatekeepers’ actions, the girl grinned and said.

「Ah, it alright. Muriel is a friend of mine. She is a Guardian Deity of neighboring territory, you know?」

Having heard the girl’s words, the gatekeepers stood paralyzed.

「S-She is a guardian Deity after all……!」

「Please forgive our ignorance…….!」

「As long as you understand. Even still, Roshe. Two hundred years didn’t change you one bit」

「Isn’t it the same for you? I’m much more interested why you are able to use your power, have you completely recovered? People are talking about another god, Iris, becoming a Guardian Deity though」

「Umu. That’d take a lot of time to explain」

「Then let’s go to my church. Together with your friends. Of course, sweets and tea are on the house」

The girl looked at Iris and the rest.

「Wai, sweets」

Eclipse the Sweet Tooth jumped in joy at the girl’s declaration.

Iris thought the same as her little sister.

She was too embarrassed to prance in front of a stranger, if not for that, she would’ve joined her.

「Ano……..is it okay to leave the snowballs here?」

When Sheryl asked as such.

「Ah, why not. Just pick it up when you leave」

The girl easily agreed.

「That is a matter of course. We won’t be an inconvenience. Even though we already are」

「Ahaha, I’m not inconvenienced at all. Follow me. You’ll catch a cold if you stay here for long」

In that way, a neighboring Guardian Deity invited Iris and the rest for a tea party

43 Came to an Unknown City

「Heave ho」

「Go, go」

Iris and Sheryl combined their efforts and rolled the snowball together.

However, before a house-sized snowball, Sheryl’s arm strength was completely inadequate.

She just went along.

However, such an atmosphere was very precious.

「By the way, Eclipse. Are we still doing it? If we combine our snowballs, the snowman will definitely be higher than the church」

Iris asked her little sister, who rolled her snowball nearby.

Initially, they were very close to each other, but, as the snowballs grew, they had to take some distance from each other.

「Not enough. Let’s roll until the sunset」

「Eclipse is too greedy」

「Punipuni」

「Punigami says it might break under its own weight if it grows too big」

「You just need to wrap it in a defensive barrier」

「What an exaggerated snowman…..」

In addition to the boundless snowfield and the physical might of the strongest biological weapon, you also want to use magic?

What a magnificent plan.

「Iris-sama. I’m feeling somewhat tired」

「You are just putting your hands on it, right?」

「No, no. I’m pushing with all my might, you know? Besides, walking on the snow for so long takes its toll on my stamina」

「Maybe you’re right…….Eclipse, how about a break?」

「You can take a break if you want to. But since it’s a competition we’ll keep pushing」

「Eh, we can’t take a break like that. You have to rest too」

「Don’t wanna」

Eclipse answered with a smile.

However, her partner, Muriel, didn’t reject the idea.

「This Mistress is on her last breath……any longer is impossible……」

「Is that so? Un…..if Muriel is tired, let’s take a break」

「Oh, This Mistress is saved」

In that manner, a truce was established between the teams.

「Chocolate, I want chocolate」

「Yes, give me a second」

「Hey, Sheryl. Eclipse is our enemy」

「It’s a break now, so why not? Here, Iris-sama’s share」

「Thank you…..」

Sheryl took plenty of chocolate from under her coat.

Does she have a personal storage dimension?

「This Mistress wants one too」

「Puni」

「Eh, of course, there is enough for Muriel-sama and Punigami-sama」

Everyone ate their chocolate in the middle of a shining scenery.

The village wasn’t visible at all.

They had no idea where exactly they were.

「Somehow, it feels like an adventure」

Muttered Sheryl.

「Well, trying to make a snowman with such big snowballs does sound like an adventure」

「Punipuni」

「Ah, Punigami looks like chocolate」

「Wahaha, dirt go away」

「Punini!」

「Owaa, enchantment doesn’t work!」

「Puniii!」

Punigami chased after Muriel in anger.

This game of tag wasn’t limited to the snowballs’ vicinity, and, eventually, Punigami and Muriel vanished into the distance.

「They disappeared so quickly……」

「Muriel is pretty fast when she’s serious」

「Tte, it’s not the time to relax, Iris-sama, Eclipse-chan. If we don’t chase after them, the two will get lost!」

「I understand, Let’s go after them」

Iris and Eclipse rolled their respective snowballs in a direction where to two ran off to.

While at it, the snowballs grew as large as the church.

They couldn’t see the whole scenery anymore.

As well as the road ahead.

「Stop, stoooop!」

「Punini!」

There were Punigami’s and Muriel’s voices coming from ahead,

Very nervous voices.

What is happening? They thought as they stopped the snowballs.

「What’s wrong? Why are you so……..uwa!」

On the other side of the snowball, Iris saw something that made her scream.

Surprisingly, there was a gate there.

Or more like a city.

She made a hand sign to ward off the dirt. ↩

42 Let’s Make a Snowman

「Muriel, are you okay? Let’s play」

「Umu, it’s alright. What do you want to do, Eclipse?」

「Etto. I just thought of it. I want to make a snowman! A very big one」

「A giant snowman? Bigger than the one produced by our fusion?」

「Bigger」

「House-sized?」

「Bigger!」

「……Church-sized?」

「Even bigger」

Hearing Eclipse’s answer, Muriel made an incredulous face.

Sheryl’s jaw dropped down and even Iris wore a troubled expression.

「Eclipse……..A snowman bigger than the church is a bit…….」

「Why?」

「Why, she said……we have no place for it. If it ever falls down, the villagers will be in danger……」

As a big sister, Iris tried to restrain her reckless tendencies.

But Eclipse wasn’t about to give up so easily.

「It’s alright. We can just make it far away from the village. The snow is piling up there anyway」

Iris felt relieved hearing that.

Indeed, there was no need to make it nearby.

The problem would be settled if you were to roll the snowballs away from the village as you make them bigger.

「You are quite smart, Eclipse」

「As the big sister it feels frustrating…..」

「Not only adorable but also smart, Eclipse-chan is invincible!」

「Wai, thanks. Reward, me with chocolate」

「Sure, take it!」

「Yay」

Eclipse jumped, received the chocolate, and joyously stuffed her mouth with it.

「Pu, punini, puni……?」

Only Punigami had the power to retort「Eh, they couldn’t think of it themselves? Really?」 amidst the admiration.

However, their admiration seemed very much real.

「Let’s make the snowballs as we distance ourselves from the village. Doing it far away from the village is convenient for me too」

「Iris-sama. Is it because you won’t encounter anyone there?」

「…….Right」

「Iris should strive to communicate with people more」

「Puni」

「…….Unneeded care」

Or so she said, but deep inside she thought to fix her personality eventually.

She didn’t plan on quitting being a NEET, but shivering at a mere sight of humans was rather inconvenient.

「Might as well make two at the same time. Let’s compete whose snowball is larger」

「Ah, sounds interesting! You need two snowballs to make one anyway」

「No matter who wins or loses, the snowman shall stand pround」

「Let’s split in two teams. For now, Eclipse and I are in different teams」

Iris and Eclipse were the strongest in this village……..no, the strongest in the whole world.

If they were to team up, the competition would lose its purpose.

「In that case, I shall join Iris-sama’s team. Muriel is in Eclipse-chan’s team」

「Roger. Our side has two Guardian Deities. We shall definitely prevail!」

「No ja」

Eclipse took Muriel’s hand and pumped herself for victory.

「Puni?」

「Punigami is in cheering team. Cheer for us as we roll」

「Punini!」

I’ll work hard at cheering, even if I’m alone, Punigami wobbled in response.

「Alright. Let’s start on Punigami’s signal. Punigami, if you don’t mind」

「Puni! Punini!」

Team Iris and Team Eclipse simultaneously made small snowballs and rolled forward.

In the beginning, it was fist size, so it was easier to roll alone.

However, eventually, it reached the size of a watermelon and even bigger.

After all, there was plenty of snow around.

「Iris-sama, amazing! It’s already bigger than I am!」

「It’s about time you help me out」

「Understood!……..But, in essence, isn’t it faster with Iris-sama pushing alone?」

「Well, it is…….but it might break if I push too fast. Besides, it’s not fun. Eclipse and Muriel are pushing together」

「We are cooperating as a team」

「We’re buddies」

Their snowball was about the same size as Iris’.

As of now, it was a draw.

The future……was unknown.

For now, she just had to push it.

「Alright. Then I’ll push too! Let me show you the prowess of the House Silverlight!」

「Does the Silverlight lineage have a secret technique for making snowmen?」

「No, not particularly」

「So your house has nothing to do with it……」

「Just wanted to say it, you don’t have to dig deeper, it’s embarrassing…..」

「S-Sorry…..」

The red-faced Sheryl hung her hand, making Iris feel awkward.

As a result,「Your teamwork is horrible」, they got scolded by Punigami.

On the other hand, Eclipse and Muriel had a fun time pushing the snowball forward.

「「No ja~~, no ja no ja no ja!!♪」」

They even hummed strange songs.

However, the size of their snowball was about the same.

Apparently, teamwork doesn’t correlate with the size too much.

That being said, seeing them have fun made her jealous.

The one who enjoys himself the most wins, since this is a game.

「Alright…..Sheryl, in order to counteract their song, you have no choice but to climb on top of the snowball!」

「Eh!? Why!?」

「Like in the circus, isn’t it fun? 」

「Iris-sama have you ever been in the circus?」

「Nope…….but I heard it’s fun」

「Iris-sama, the people in the circus work their hardest to make people happy. It’s not something I can imitate」

「It’s alright. This snowball is sufficiently big to ride it without any problem. I’m not going that fast anyway…….more than anything, it’s a challenge! It’s an era where the Lord has to at least be able to ride a ball! Come!」

Iris stopped the snowball and encouraged Sheryl to get on.

「Is that so? Sounds more like an assortment of strange words. Let’s believe Iris-sama! Teyaa!」

Sheryl climbed the snowball with a battle cry.

The snowballs already exceeded the size of an adult male.

Standing on something this big required quite a bit of courage.

「Uwaa, it’s high! Scary! But……it feels like I became taller. It’s surprisingly refreshing feeling. Iris-sama, you can push」

「Very well. Here I go, Sheryl!」

「Come at me. Yottotto」

Sheryl moved her legs and maintained her balance to stay on top.

She did much better than expected.

「Sheryl. You were a part of circus troupe before, am I right?」

「No, I’ve always been a maid before becoming a Lord」

Maids shouldn’t be underestimated.

Iris had no reevaluate Sheryl.

However, the ball kept getting bigger.

It became taller than a two-storey house.

「Wa-Wait, Iris-sama, after all this is a bit too high! Scary, it’s scary!」

「After all? Then I’ll stop, so you can get down」

「Even if you say that, I can’t get down by myself…….」

「Mou, can’t help it……..I’ll save you in a second……huh?」

Iris stopped pushing the snowball.

Nevertheless, it kept rolling forward without any intention of stopping.

And to worsen the situation, Sheryl boke her balance and fell forward.

「Gue!」

With a sound of a crushed frog, Sheryl merged with the top layer of snow.

At that moment, the snowball coincidentally ran out of momentum and stopped after half a spin.

That didn’t seem very good.

「Sheryl!? Are you alright!?」

「P-Pleash safe mee……」

「You’re alive! I’ll try to get you out!」

In a hurry, Iris pushed the snowball away and rescued Sheryl.

「Get yourself together! The wounds aren’t deep!」

「Fuee…….I’m alright…….the snow became my cushion, I’m not injured」

Sheryl stood up on her own.

「I’m glad……」

Iris patted her own chest in relief.

「You two, dangerous games are prohibited. It gives This Mistress chills by just looking」

「Sheryl is an ordinary human, you shouldn’t do anything excessive. Big Sister Iris, you can’t make her do anything dangerous too」

「「Yeees」」

Team Iris honestly answered to Eclipse’s scolding.

「Puni」

「I can’t tell which is the big sister」said Punigami.

Iris thought it reasonable, but she felt something would end, were she to admit it.

She had to win the contest and reestablish her big sister’s dignity.

41 Runny Nose

Katie, who decided to stay in the Silverlight territory, spend a week playing with snow.

But, as the snow melted with the increase of the temperature, she finally remembered her job and came to ask Muriel.

「I see. So you didn’t gradually lose your power but suddenly found yourself unable to use it?」

「Indeed. Isn’t it mysterious? Do you know anything about the cause?」

Muriel sat on the chair in the church, as she answered while nibbling on chocolate.

Eclipse sat next to her doing the same, but she was too absorbed to pay attention to the conversation.

Iris, as usual, sprawled on the bed with Punigami as a hugging pillow as looked at them from afar.

It’s not like she was sleepy.

The bed was her default position, she won’t move unless circumstances demand so.

「There were people living in the Silverlight Barony when this occurred…….they didn’t lose their faith either…….it feels like a setup 」

「Setup? In other words, it’s someone’s doing? This Mistress doesn’t remember forming grudges with anyone」

「However, with people and their faith still present, the cause should lie outside. It doesn’t seem like Supreme Divine Will Temple gave it much thought in the past…..but such an outstanding inquisitor like myself won’t go past this matter. The Creator-sama himself must’ve arranged our meeting, considering the timing of your revival and me coming here! I’ll definitely uncover the cause!」

「Oh, my heart is at ease. This Mistress can see your outstanding qualities」

「Fufufu. Praise me more」

Katie puffed her chest in happiness.

It wasn’t much of a compliment……but Iris, being an observer, had no reason to point that out

As long as the person in question is happy. Those who believe shall obtain salvation.

「…..This Mistress didn’t think you’d become so happy. But how exactly do you plan on investigating the cause?」

「I’ll start by founding the records about that time. For this reason, I shall return to the headquarters in the capital. I’ll come back once I’ve found something!」

In such a way, the inquisitor, Katie, left the Silverlight Barony.

It became somewhat lonely when a lively person leaves.

However, there is still a lively person called Sheryl.

Two lively people are too many. It would be enough for her to visit occasionally.

△

The day after Katie left, snow fell again.

As expected the dragon duo came to the church saying 「cold, cold」and climbed under the blanket.

「Are you going to sleep again? Let’s play」

Eclipse, by the side of the bed, made a pleading face.

Exceptionally cute.

One would want to respond to her expectations.

But it was impossible for Iris.

After all, she wanted to sleep a bit more.

「Sorry, Eclipse-chan…….my body doesn’t listen to me when it’s so cold……..」

「Wish I could use Giga Inferno Flame myself…….Iris, can you do it?」

「If I use Giga Inferno Flame, the village will probably disappear…..should I practice where no one’s around?」

「Yes……..when it gets a little warmer, I’ll practice with you…….」

Muttered Marion as she clung to Iris.

Not willing to lose, Jessica did the same.

「Un……it’s hard to sleep when you cling so hard….」

「Puni! Punini!」

「How about getting up then? That being said, NEET’s have their own principles」

「Throw away those principles. I want to play with Big Sister Iris」

Pestered Eclipse as she repeatedly hit the blanket.

Cute.

The principles didn’t stand a chance before being blown away.

「Can’t help it if Eclipse says so. I’ll change, so wait a little」

「Wai. Big Sister Iris is awesome」

As Iris raised her body, Eclipse hugged her and swung her legs up and down on the bed.

With Eclipse still dangling on her, Iris went to pick her robe from a chair.

「Hey, I’m going to change, so go away」

「Yees」

When Iris changed her clothes and was about to go outside with Eclipse and Punigami, the dragons called out to them.

「Iris-chan, don’t go anywhere……」

「Warmth……not enough warmth…….」

「Don’t know anything about it. Maybe you should join us?」

「Impossible…….cold, too cold…..」

「Mother, it’s cold……」

「Stay strong, Marion……Iris-chan is kind, she’ll definitely come back…….Are? Iris-chan…….?」

Iris ignored the dragons and mercilessly shut the doors behind her.

「They are a bit pitiable」

The kind Eclipse muttered as she looked back at the church.

「Should we go back for the two’s sake?」

「Don’t wanna. Let’s play outside」

「Right………you have to make sacrifices to obtain something……Marion, Jessica-san…….I’ll never forget you……」

「Aren’t you exaggerating, Big Sister Iris?」

「Puni」

「Just wanted to say it. So what game are we going to play?」

「Let’s see, let’s see」

Eclipse folded her arms in contemplation.

It’s not like she had nothing on her mind, more like, she had so many ideas to choose from.

At that time, Sheryl and Muriel came braving the snow and climbed the hill.

「Oi, it’s snowing pretty hard」

「Let’s play, let’s all play together!」

The Lord and the Guardian Deity, both of exceptional standing, yet worse than kids.

This distinguished duo failed to reach the church as they slipped and rolled down the hill.

「「Waaaaaa!」」

Iris chased after them in exasperation.

The two only stopped when they reached the bottom of the hill.

Both turned into snow balls with only their heads barely poking out.

「Since we already have two, let’s make a snowman. Wai」¹

Having said so, Eclipse put Sheryl’s snow ball on top of Muriel’s.

What a fine snowman it was.

「Nicely done, Eclipse. But a snowman doesn’t need two faces…..Let’s cover Muriel’s. That does it」

「Buho, what are you doing, Iris!? Stop playing and save This Mistress」

「Uu…..I just wanted to play…..」

「Sorry, sorry, couldn’t hold myself back」

She decided to save them before the two caught cold.

Whether Muriel could catch cold was unknown, but Sheryl won’t be able to escape it.

Besides, Muriel is a weirdo of a god, she may just catch it.

「Achoo!」

The moment the two were freed from their confines, Muriel immediately started sneezing.

「…..I’ve thought about it but didn’t expect a Guardian Deity to really catch a cold」

「Y-You’re wrong. It’s just a chill, definitely not the cold……achoo!」

Her nose was dripping.

「Muriel-sama. Here, handkerchief」

「Oo, This Mistress is saved….even still, Sheryl is fine…..?」

「Yes. I’m quite sturdy! Never did I catch a cold in my life!」

「I see, This Mistress has heard something like this before. Where was it……?」

Having said so, Muriel blew into the handkerchief,

「Ah, you can have this handkerchief. It’s dirty. I’ll give it to you」

「Sheryl……it wasn’t necessary to call it dirty……even though it is」

「Muriel. Sheryl’s faith doesn’t care about the small detail, so you shouldn’t too. It’s alright. She cares for you in her own way…….」

「Indeed. The heart is what matters」

「My snot isn’t dirty」

「This is this and that is that」

「I see……」

Muriel looked with an unsatisfied expression.

However, snot isn’t something you’d call clean anyway.

No matter how you respect the opposite party.

If you start accepting snotty handkerchiefs, it might turn into a brand new ritual.

Always irritates me when I fail to transmit Eclipse’ (and others’) manner of speech. Eclipse tends to speak in a cutesy manner and elongate the words at the end of some sentences. ↩

40 Suspicions Cleared

「Well then…..a question for Iris-sama!」

「Ah, am I still under suspicion?」

「Question number one! Where did Iris-sama came from!?」

「Even if you ask……from that direction」

She couldn’t just say 『I’m a biological weapon from the Kurifot continent, best regards』, so she only pointed a direction.

Technically she didn’t lie.

「I don’t understand」

「……From beyond the sea…….a small island」

「I see. Am I right to presume that Iris-sama is the goddess born from the locals’ faith?」

「Well…….there wasn’t a single human back on the island」

「Eh, so you are a goddess that appeared naturally!?」

「….Who knows…..?」

There were indeed no humans. After all, it was an island of demons.

However, Iris wasn’t born spontaneously but from a capsule.

Katie’s misunderstanding came in handy.

Iris wasn’t good at lying, she couldn’t come up with the setting herself.

「I’ve heard that a god appearing naturally is considered a high-ranking entity. For example, the Creation God was the same. He had the powers of god even without faith. However, there aren’t many examples, so even Supreme Divine Will Cult doesn’t have comprehensive knowledge!」

「Is that so…..but I don’t really know myself」

「I see, Iris-sama has no awareness of the matter……however, if you are truly naturally born, it’s a major discovery! Please come to Supreme Divine Will Cult’s headquarters. We’ll get you a better church right away」

「No way! I won’t move a step from here! I’ll go wild if you push me too hard!」

This village’s population isn’t that great, yet it’s already stressful.

There are definitely many people in Supreme Divine Will Cult’s headquarters.

She won’t survive.

「I-I understand, please don’t go wild! Supreme Divine Will Cult respects the gods’ wishes. Nevertheless, I have more questions to determine whether you’re an evil god or not」

「A-Alright……come at me!」

「Question number two! Have your villagers done something suspicious, or any kind of strange rituals!?」

「No!」

「Question number three! Have you ever demanded a sacrifice!?」

「No!」

「Question number four! Have you ever been defeated and sealed by a hero!?」

「No way!」

「The last question! Are you an evil god!?」

「Of course not!」

Iris is the daughter of the Great Demon King.

Not an evil god.

She didn’t lie even once.

「Oh…..everything is in order……it seems Iris-sama is not an evil god after all!」

Katie happily delivered her verdict.

「I’m happy beyond measure…….」

「Isn’t that great? Now we have an approval of Supreme Divine Will Cult」

「Big Sister Iris wasn’t an evil god. Wai」

「I’ve believed in you, Iris-sama!」

「Punipuni」

「It’s good the questions were easy」said Punigami.

In fact, is there any evil god who would answer yes?

Although Iris wasn’t an evil god, she wondered whether this inquisitor missed quite a bit of evil gods with these methods.

Or maybe this girl is just an airhead.

「I’ll make a report to Supreme Divine Will Cult about Iris-sama and Eclipse-sama not being evil gods. I’d like to stay in the village to compile my report, is this alright with you?」

Katie asked Sheryl.

「It’s all right. Stay as long as you want」

「Thank you very much. Also, I want to talk with Muriel-sama about the event of two hundred years ago」

「Umu, then you should participate in a snowball fight with This Mistress. Then I’ll tell you」

「Snowball fight? Bring it on!」

Katie suddenly became quite eager.

Does she like snowball fights?

「I’ll participate too」

「It’s an honor to participate in a snowball fight with the gods! Will Iris-sama join us?」

Asked Katie with sparkling eyes.

Apparently, she liked snowball fights to no end.

「…..Katie. Could it be you have nothing to do?」

Asked Iris from pure curiosity.

「Y-You’re wrong! I don’t have many achievements yet, so I don’t get jobs too often, that’s all!」

「So you are free」

「Gunuu!」

Right on target.

It seems Supreme Divine Will Cult doesn’t think much of this village since it dispatched someone like Katie.

Because it doesn’t think of it as important, the interference should be minimal.

Great, thank god, thought Iris as she climbed under the blanket.

39 Red Dragons Are Bad With Cold

「Big Sister Iris, don’t sleep, let’s go and play. It’s snowing again」

「Un…..it’s cold, it’s bothersome, and I’m in a mood to sleep, maybe another time」

「How terrible…….Marion and Jessica are sleeping too. Why?」

Yes.

Iris wasn’t the only one engaged in inactivity.

For some reason, the two climbed into Iris’ bed and clung to her from both sides as they trembled.

「Red dragons are bad with cold…..」

Said Jessica in a surprisingly listless voice.

「Yes……when it falls below a certain point all our energy just goes off somewhere……..it was okay the last time, but today is no good. I can’t leave the bed」

Hearing Marion, Iris nodded convinced.

Indeed, today was colder than ever before.

At such a cold day, climbing under the blanket is a matter of course.

Iris felt warmer that way too.

But why did the dragon pair chose this place to sleep of all others?

「They have a house of their own, right? Can’t they just sleep there?」

「It’s warmer like this……..and I wanted to sleep with Iris-chan too……」

「Mother came all the way here for such a weird reason…..j-just to be clear, It’s not like I wanted to sleep with Iris!」

「Ara, you could just stay behind, you know? You didn’t have to follow your mother here」

「T-This…..I came here to see Punigami!」

「Puni?」

Punigami stood on the floor all this time as he carried Eclipse on top.

「Do you want to play with Punigami, shall we switch then?」

Eclipse, the Kind, took Marion’s words seriously.

「I’m happy, but Punigami won’t fit onto the bed. It’s cold to get out, so I’ll decline」

「Okay, Then today Punigami is my chair」

「Puni」

Punigami wobbled joyously.

Even so, Punigami, who should have been frozen already, showed no signs of that.

Even though his body was mostly water, it didn’t mean he was weak to cold.

Well, thinking on a deeper level, everyone’s body was full of water too.

However, they won’t easily freeze at low temperatures.

Somehow mysterious, thought Iris under the blanket when the gate of the church suddenly opened.

「I’m Katie Astley, an Inquisitor of Supreme Divine Will Cult! Please cooperate with my investigation!」

Supreme Divine Will Cult. Inquisitor.

A name I have a recollection of.

It’s an organization that collects information about various gods around the world.

But before all that.

「It’s cold! Close the door! 」

Screamed iris.

「Right…..I’ll spit flames if you don’t…..」

「Mother can easily incinerate a village…..you better hurry up…………..」

The dragon pair complained.

「Ne, ne. Hurry up and close it. The snow is going to enter」

「Puni」

「Ah, sure」

Hearing everyone’s complaints, the Inquisitor, Katie, obediently turned around and closed the doors.

But even though she did it, Muriel and Sheryl barged immediately after.

Katie pursed her lips as she closed the doors again.

「No ja? Why are you looking so down?」

「…..It’s nothing!」

「D-Don’t scare me…….」

Muriel hid behind Sheryl.

「Katie-san, you can’t scare Muriel-sama like that! Muriel-sama has a delicate personality!」

「Ah, I apologize……」

Katie bowed in apology. She seemed to have an honest personality.

Well then, since the gates are closed and the cold wind has no way in, let’s hear why Katie came here. Or so Iris thought when she noticed an important detail.

「Waa, a stranger!」

Iris screamed, hid under the blanket, and hugged Marion.

「Eh? What happened?」

Said Katie in surprise.

「Iris-sama is extremely shy around strangers. She’s like this every time she meets one」

「Eeh………even though she’s a Guardian Deity….?」

「One’s shyness doesn’t correlate with one’s abilities as a Guardian Deity. Besides, there are always gods who refuse to appear before people」

「There are……but according to my knowledge and Supreme Divine Will Cult’s records, there are none who hide under the blanket to hide from people……..」

「Gods come in many varieties. Investigating that is Katie-san’s job, right?」

「Haa……..well……it is…….」

Katie let out a voice of bewilderment.

If it were, it would be a low priority work for sure. It’s better not to force it.

「You can just forget about your investigation. Spend a night in the village and come again tomorrow」

Iris stated from under the blanket.

「No, this can’t be done」

Having said so, Katie pulled on the blanket.

Iris faced Katie at close range.

「Wa, wa, a human, a human so close, what should I doooo?!」

In her panic, Iris strengthened her hold on Marion.

Marion and Jessica too, apparently feeling the cold, hugged her even tighter.

「Uu…cold……blanket…….it there isn’t any there is still Iris-chan’s warmth…..」

「Ah, Mother is cheating……split Iris with me…..」

「Hieee……because I’m being hugged by two people I can’t escape…….」

She very much wanted to hide under the bed, but Mario and Jessica won’t let her.

Of course, she could just fly away, but that would be too cruel.

As she thought about her escape plan, Katie brought her face closer.

「Hiyaa, so close….someone save me…….!」

「Stay strong, Iris-sama!」

「I don’t really understand but stay strong, Big Sister Iris」

「Puni」

She heard irresponsible cheers from the side.

「Umu…..there is a presence of divine power……..」

「I-Is that so…..? Whatever just maintain the distance……」

Iris was about to die from tension.

Maybe because of the dragon family on her sides she could endure it, although barely. Otherwise, it would’ve been an instant death.

「And please return the blanket…..」

「Cold…..it’s too cold…..」

The dragons trembled so hard the bed trembled with them.

「Is it that cold…….? Then let’s do it. Giga Inferno Flame!」

Katie exaggeratedly screamed and powered her magic.

The surroundings faintly became warmer.

「Ah, somehow it’s warm」

「It’s warm. I can move again」

Marion and Jessica seemed relieved as they relaxed their hold on Iris.

However, relaxed doesn’t mean separated.

Iris still couldn’t escape under the bed.

「F-For such a cool spell its effect is rather underwhelming…….」

Having calmed down somewhat, Iris decided to try speaking with Katie.

「I’m weak in magic department, so I need at least this much drive to make it work」

「I-Is that so……sounds problematic….」

「However, it’s useful to fight the cold. By the way, I use Giga Cocytus Blizzard when it’s hot to cool down!」

「I see…….very convenient…….」

Iris could blow a mountain away or freeze everything until the horizon, but regulating temperature might require some training.

In that regard, Katie’s magic that can set the temperature just right by using everything she has is quite convenient.

「Amazing, stay in this village until the winter ends」

「Dragon Breath has needlessly big range……you have a valuable talent」

The dragons showed their admiration.

「Fufufu. After all, I’m an Inquisitor capable of investigations by myself, despite being a novice! And I have a few questions to ask! Iris-sama and Eclipse-sama! In short, it’s a matter of you being evil gods or not!」

「What is an evil god?」

Eclipse innocently inquired.

Seeing this, Katie thought for a little before answering.

「Eclipse-sama is clear of all suspicions, Eclipse-sama is too adorable to be an evil god」

「Is that so? Wai」

Eclipse felt happy despite her ignorance.

38 Inquisition

There are many gods in this world.

There are gods watching over this world from Heaven as well as the gods born in it, ignorant of Heaven’s existence

Serving as the self-proclaimed temple for all those gods was『Supreme Divine Will Cult』. [¹]

A group that records information about every god, their believers, their deeds, and legends.

Upon discovering another god, Supreme Divine Will Cult will launch an investigation.

It’d be good for a god to be acknowledged by them, but there are times when they deem a god evil. In that case, there will be Evil God Slayers dispatched immediately.

There are indeed evil gods hostile to humanity in existence.

After all, a god is a being that turns people’s belief into his own power.

In exchange, a god will hear their wishes and fulfill them if possible.

In such a way, a god worshipped by evildoers fulfills their malevolent wishes.

An evil god has to be purified before he builds his power. If it’s impossible then sealed of slaughtered.

It has to be done, otherwise, there is a possibility of the worst-case scenario and the world being destroyed.

And now, an inquisitor of Supreme Divine Will Cult was heading towards the land of Baroness Silverlight.

That land was nothing but a wasteland just a while ago.

It became lush with vegetation, a beautiful lake appeared, and the village came into being once again.

Reputedly, it was the work of the Goddess named Iris Crisis.

However, according to Supreme Divine Will Cult’s records, that land worshipped the Goddess known as Muriel.

Iris Crisis was never heard of.

There was a need to investigate.

If she is an evil goddess then she has to be dealt with as fast as possible.

Steeling her determination, the Inquisitor, Katie Astley, walked the snowy road.

Still fifteen years old. A girl wearing glasses, who became an inquisitor just half a year ago, in other words, a rookie.

Despite her being a rookie, she was entrusted with a solo investigation.

Because I’m outstanding. Katie carried a certain arrogance within herself.

She didn’t utter a single complaint despite the cold weather.

「So cold…..」

She accidentally slipped, but since no one was nearby to hear it, she was safe.

However, it would be troublesome once she arrived at the Silverlight Barony, so she needed a countermeasure.

There she chose to ignite a flame with her magic.

「Giga Inferno Flame!」[²]

Katie tenderly screamed, channeled her magical power, and unleashed the spell.

However, with Katie’s magical power being utterly weak, not even a spark was born.

She could only slightly warm her body by squeezing every last bit of her magical power.

Just enough to ward off the cold.

「I’m by no means weak. I’m not combat-oriented, that’s all. The right person in right place! 」

She muttered trying to inspire herself and walked forwards.

Eventually, she arrived at the Silverlight Barony.

The children in the village were making snowmen or playing with snowballs.

Since adults couldn’t farm in winter, they either drank beer by the sides as they watched the children, or lazed at their homes.

At the entrance of the village, Katie took off a whistle from her neck, put it in her mouth, and blew with all her power.

Being startled, the villagers gathered their attention on Katie.

「I’m Katie Astley, an Inquisitor of Supreme Divine Will cult! I’m here to investigate the Guardian Deity of this village! I’m counting on your cooperation! 」

There are inquisitors, who use Supreme Divine Will Cult’s name as a shield to completely ignore the will of the locals.

However, Supreme Divine Will Temple is nothing but an organization that records the gods and guides the people in their faith.

By no means, it’s an apostle of the gods.

As long as there are no obvious signs of heresy, there was no need to lose decorum, thought Katie.

「Inquisitor? Etto, I’m the Lord, Baroness Sheryl Silverlight. Why did you come to such a small village……? I don’t remember anything dubious happening」

A young blonde girl came out from the crowd.

According to the information Katie received, she was eighteen.

Only three years older than Katie.

「Greetings to Your Excellency, the Baroness. There is nothing to be worried about. But according to the records of Supreme Divine Will Cult, this land was supposed to worship a Goddess-sama known as Muriel. Yet I’ve heard something about Iris Crisis being worshipped here now」

「Eeh, well. You did well with your investigation….」

「Because it’s the duty of Supreme Divine Will Cult!」

Having said so, Katie puffed her chest.

That being said, it wasn’t difficult to investigate the village.

In the first place, it rather stands out when two hundred-year-old wilderness suddenly turns into the land of green.

The name of the goddess living in that land quickly comes up after a slight investigation.

Thanks to Sheryl with her「Our Guardian Deity is amazing! 」propaganda, Iris Crisis’ name reached the ears of Supreme Divine Will Cult whether they wanted or not.

「Hey, Inquisitor or whatever you are. Don’t write This Mistress off just yet. This Mistress is worshipped just fine even now. Iris is just a bonus. This Mistress in the true Chief Goddess! 」

A pink-haired girl stood beside Sheryl. Her age was about or slightly below Katie’s. She was weirdly arrogant too.

「……And you are? 」

「This Mistress is Muriel. The Guardian Deity of this land since three hundred years ago」

「What are you saying? There is no way a Guardian Deity will play snow games together with children…..tte, what? I sense the presence of divine! 」

Katie was an outstanding inquisitor despite being a novice.

She could easily perceive the presence of the divine.

「Of course, because This Mistress is the Guardian Deity」

「Fo-Forgive me for my offense! I couldn’t recognize Muriel-sama……however, what about the Goddess-sama named Iris………?」

「Iris and her little sister are taking a nap in the church. Do you want to see them?」

Little sister?

I didn’t hear any of that, Katie tilted her head.

「By little sister you mean….」

「Iris’ little sister, Eclipse. In short, there are three Guardian Deities in this village」

「It can’t be! I could understand if it was a big city, but in such a remote village………ah, I’m terribly sorry!」

「Hm! We are just a small remote village after all」

The Lord, Sheryl, puffed her cheeks and became angry.

But that’s about it.

Even if it’s a noble, no one is brave enough to use violence against a member of Supreme Divine Will Cult. However, this statement still was close enough to warrant a spanking.

Nevertheless, the Baroness, Sheryl, proved her tolerance by stopping at an angry facial expression.

Or maybe she didn’t think anything else. Somehow, she gave that impression.

「No, I mean small compared to a grand city……this village has only been established not even a year ago. It’s marvelous if you keep that detail in mind. It proves the leadership skills of Your Excellency. I’m deeply impressed」

「Eh, is that so? Fufu, you have a sweet tongue, mou」

Sheryl’s attitude made a swift turnaround.

Her mentality was incredibly simple.

Katie only noticed as she said that, but this village’s scale was a bit too big considering it existed for only a few months.

Is Sheryl really an outstanding lord?

Katie secretly reevaluated Sheryl in her mind.

Still, having three Guardian Deities was a bit too much for a village.

The gods usually lose their power without faith.

In extreme cases, they can’t even maintain their physical form.

Of course, one person can worship multiple gods, but his zeal will definitely suffer.

As a result, it was common to have big cities support multiple deities.

This village’s population was about a hundred, no matter how you count.

Having three Guardian Deities with such numbers was…suspicious.

「Etto, I have a question. There were no Guardian Deities besides Muriel-sama before, am I right? Just when did Iris-sama and Eclipse-sama appeared? 」

「Un….I wonder. When I came here, Iris-sama already lived in the church. Eclipse-sama came about a month ago, I guess? She came her following Iris-sama’s steps」

「Came? In other words, she didn’t “materialize” from people’s faith but came from elsewhere?」

「That’s right」

「I see…..by the way, do you know where she came from?」

「Etto, I have a feeling I’ve heard of it but ended up forgetting. Can’t you ask her directly? Iris-sama is amazing, you know? She made the wilderness green again, created this lake, and even revived Muriel-sama!」

「Indeed. This Mistress indebted to Iris」

「Revived? Can you explain in detail?」

「Alright. Listen to This Mistress’ tale」

Muriel explained in high spirits.

Katie knew about her suddenly losing power two hundred years ago and people leaving this place. Everything according to Supreme Divine Will Cult’s records.

However, an unknown Goddess appeared and revived the village as well as Muriel. It was the first time Katie heard of it.

It was a matter of course.

The Silverlight Barony was a forgotten land.

The records weren’t up to date.

That’s why Katie came to investigate.

「Ans she’s cute! Eclipse-sama doesn’t lose too!」

「Haa……I see. I very much look forward to meeting Iris-sama and Eclipse-sama」

Cute or not is not the point, but the power capable of turning a wilderness into a grassland and reviving Muriel was troubling.

It’s not easy to revive a god.

Perhaps she is an evil god.

Unfortunately, wicked wishes can easily make a god strong.

The villagers seemed like the good people…….but it wasn’t the time to relax.

Katie was resolved to fulfill her duties.

References

Might rename that in the future, feel a bit weird. Accepting suggestions. ↩
Sounds lukewarm. ↩

37 Snowball Warfare

The last days of December.

Muriel completely mixed with the village in just a few days.

At night, she slept with Iris and Eclipse on the bed, at sunset she immediately ran down the hill and played with the children.

According to Sheryl, she enjoyed bigger popularity compared to Iris, who almost never shows her face.

Hearing this, Iris could only groan in frustration.

「But Big Sister Iris never comes out of the church. Let’s visit the village from time to time」

Eclipse preached to the frustrated Iris.

「No way, there are people there……」

「They are good people, though?」

「That’s not the problem」

When judging people as good or bad it almost sounds like she has a problem with their attitude.

But Iris was scared of talking with strangers, no matter their disposition.

In other words, the problem lied with Iris, not with people themselves.

Iris being Iris had an unshakable shut-in disposition.

「You’re a NEET. So I conclude」

「Why are you sounding so cool? You are just an embodiment of sloth」

「Punini」

Marion and Punigami mercilessly made fun of her.

Hearing the truth from a scary dragon and slime, Iris crawled under the blanket to escape reality.

There she fell asleep until the lunch of the next day.

As she opened her eyes, she saw no one else on the bed.

Strangely chilly.

Her breathing turned white.

Iris, wrapped in a blanket, decided to go out the church.

There she saw a pure white expanse of snow.

「Waaa….」

She leaked a voice of admiration.

So surprisingly beautiful, chilling on the skin, sparkling, with a soft feeling coming from her feet.

After all, this was the first time for Iris to witness snow.

The previously green hill, houses’ roofs, the forest, everything was white until the very horizon.

The change was even more impressive compared to the time when the lake appeared.

For the world to change so much in a day was truly impressive.

Even in such a frozen world, the kids were as active as ever.

They threw balls of snow at each other as they played.

Of course, Eclipse and Muriel were among them.

「Seems fun…..」

Or so she muttered but didn’t have the courage to join them.

She just watched from the top of the hill.

At that time, a body of snow appeared and climbed the hill.

It was Punigami with Sheryl and Marion on his back.

「Punipuni」

「Good morning, Iris-sama! Please look, it’s snow! 」

「I’m here to pick you up. You aren’t going to miss on this too, right? 」

Apparently, they came here to bring Iris down.

Iris wanted to go.

She wanted to join the game of throwing snowballs.

But, she was scared.

「…….No, I mean. I’ll tactfully decline」

「What are you saying?! At this rate, your body will merge with the church. Go and play with everyone, at least today! 」

「That’s right. It’s the first snow. Pure white. It’s only this beautiful now, it’ll swiftly melt, mix with the mud, and become dirty. Let’s go! 」

「Pu-ni!」

Sheryl and Marion pulled her by the hands with Punigami pushing from behind.

「Wa, wait, wait! I’ll wait! Just let me change! 」

「Then hurry up! Ah, I’ll help you change myself! 」

「Foul play, Marion-san! I’ll participate too! 」

「Puni」

Then, Iris was dragged into the church stripped of her pajamas and changed into her usual attire.

After that, Punigami brought her down the hill before she noticed.

Marion followed closely behind.

Must be noted that Sheryl tried to catch up but stumbled midway and rolled down like a ball.

Gaining in size, she easily overtook Punigami and rolled into the village.

Right where the kids played.

「No ja! Here comes a giant snowball! That’s cheating! 」

「You can’t use such big snowball in a snowball fight!」

Eclipse stood before the giant snowball and 「Ei」held out her hands.

The giant snowball’s momentum was but a trifle for Eclipse.

It stopped easily.

Then it broke in halves and Sheryl came out with spinning eyes.

「Wa, the snowball gave birth to Sheryl」

「Since she was born from a snowball, let’s call her Yukiko-chan」

「Hie……don’t casually rename people……」

Sheryl didn’t forget to complain despite her spinning eyes.

She seemed to be okay.

「Sheryl as clumsy as always」

「Punii…..」

Iris and Punigami sighed in exasperation.

「Well, humans aren’t as strong as we are…..can’t help it, I suppose?」

Or so Marion tried to defend her.

However the kids around them 「Sheryl-sama is a role model of a human being」「We aren’t that clumsy」didn’t share her sentiment.

「H-How cruel…..」

Sheryl unsteadily got up with teary-eyes.

She didn’t lose her vigor despite the spectacular roll.

「Well then. Since Iris-sama was safely delivered let’s restart the snow fight……Iris-sama, you can’t just hide behind Punigami」

「Eh, but……」

There were unknown children besides the usual members present here.

To play with them required tremendous courage.

She thought she gathered enough courage on top of the hill, but when it came to it there wasn’t enough.

「Iris’ shut-in disposition is troublesome…..ei!」

Without any warning, Muriel smashed a snowball into Iris’ face.

「…..What are you doing……ei!」

Of course, there was an immediate counterattack.

Then Muriel threw again.

Eventually it escalated into a skirmish.

「I see, so this is a snowball fight. Ei, ei!」

「Iris, I’ll join your side!」

Marion too started throwing snowballs at Muriel.

「Then I shall be Muriel’s ally」

「Punini」

「So Punigami-sama is Iris-sama’s comrade? Then I shall assist Muriel-sama」

In that manner, the two camps engaged in snowball warfare.

Although there were no rules about winning or losing established.

For now, hitting an opponent with a snowball was good and getting hit was bad.

Nevertheless, it was fun.

Iris forgot about her desire to shut herself in and had fun playing with snowballs.

When the sun set, everyone sat on the ground exhausted.

The snow has been completely trampled and there was no that fluffy feeling anymore.

Perhaps it’s time to go back, thought Iris when Jessica came.

「Arara, Everyone played to their heart’s content. I made some butter roasted potatoes. Is someone interested? 」

As expected of Jessica.

She predicted that everyone must be hungry after such an intense fight.

Nice timing indeed.

Of course,「Me!」 everyone raised their hands.

Everyone happily ate their share.

With this, Iris completely accepted the children – or so everyone thought.

How could I do something so grand, that night Iris trembled under the blanket.

「Big Sister Iris……..you only had a snowball fight…….」

Even Eclipse felt a wave of exasperation.

「My, my. Can’t be a Guardian Deity like that. This Mistress is essential to this village」

「Punini」

They said many things, but Iris wasted too much mental power interacting with strangers.

She decided to stay inside for at least three days to recover her mental energy.

References

N/a.

36 Everyone is Welcome Except Villains

「Even though Muriel-sama is currently like this, you were a proper Guardian Deity-sama two hundred years ago, right?」

Sheryl casually asked.

「Indeed. This Mistress was born three hundred years ago and performed as a splendid Guardian Deity of this land for the next hundred years. By the way, I’ll appreciate if you won’t say something like『currently like this』again」

「Then why did you suddenly lose your divine powers?」

「No clue. This Mistress felt everyone’s faith…….but it wasn’t converted into divine power……as the Guardian Deity I’ve failed to protect this land, pathetic….」

Having remembered those days, Muriel burst into crying again.

Seeing this, Eclipse patted her.

「How mysterious. The matter of Muriel-sama losing her power two hundred years ago needs to be investigated eventually. However, Muriel-sama defended this land for hundred years, be proud of yourself. Here, an offering」

Sheryl took out chocolate from her pocket and handed it to Muriel.

「Mogumogu……….delicious. Sheryl is a good fellow. As long as it’s something This Mistress can do, she’ll fulfill one wish of yours」

「Is that true? Then don’t mind if I do……..our lake is beautiful and there are no problems with water, but there’s no fish. Many villagers want to eat some fish, please do something」

「Umumu……this wish exceeds This Mistress’ power…..」

「Of course, doing it after Muriel-sama’s power comes back will do」

「I see, understood. This Mistress has to get my powers back as soon as possible. As of now, this Mistress is powerless……This Mistress can only contribute to the village by picking up garbage」

「No, no. I can’t let a Goddess do such a thing. Muriel-sama should just stay in the church. It’s important to have the Goddess in the church after all」

「B-But isn’t there Iris and Eclipse already…..」

Said Muriel in a low voice.

Apparently, her previous self-confidence was a front while she’s deeply concerned about her own powerlessness.

Seeing her like this, one would want to cheer her up a little.

「Eclipse and I somehow ended up worshipped but we are actually demons. I think we do need a real goddess after all」

「Right. Muriel is needed」

「I-I see……there is no true goddess here besides This Mistress. Gufufu, confidence is welling up inside of me! 」

Muriel grinned widely.

She looked quite depressed previously, but it didn’t take long for her to regain her vigor.

Having such a robust mentality is terrifyingly good.

「For now, let’s introduce Muriel to the villagers. Come on, come on, let’s go」

「Very well」

Sheryl took Muriel down the hill.

Eclipse tailed behind them.

Punigami and Marion wanted to follow too, but since Iris won’t move away from the church, they came back halfway.

「Hey, are you not going?」

「Puni」

「But, you know. I don’t want to appear before people………..go without me. I’ll watch from here…..」

「Haa…..what a disappointing personality. A good fit for Muriel」

「Puni!」

「H-Hey, you two, aren’t you going overboard?!」

「Not at all. Well, your shut-in tendencies are well-known……….It’s pitiful to leave you here alone, so I shall accompany you」

「T-Thanks, Marion…..If you want to stay, you’re always welcome……..」

Iris felt her face getting hot as she said that.

The recipient, Marion, somewhat blushed too.

Strangely shy.

「Puninii?」

「When did you become so close?」Said Punigami.

「W-We aren’t that close! It’s normal, totally normal!」

「Puni」

Making somewhat unconvinced Punigami their chair, Marion and Iris gazed down the hill.

Sheryl gathered the villagers to introduce Muriel.

Although currently powerless, she is the goddess of the times long past, she might get her powers back eventually, so let’s have faith in her…….her introduction was all over the place.

Apparently, the villagers thought the more deities the better and cheered loudly.

Muriel rejoiced at being the center of attention after more than hundred years. 「Wai, wai」she spun around overjoyed.

Marion’s mother, Jessica watched Muriel with a smile from the side.

「Ah, Mother seems to like Muriel a lot」

「If Jessica-san says something like taking Muriel as her daughter」

「M-Mother only has me as the daughter!」

Marion took seriously, as she latched onto Iris’ shoulder and rocked it with full force.

「Wa, wa, restrain your draconic powers a little. You’ll tear my pajamas. It was obviously a joke」

「R-Right….that’s right! Mou, don’t say such weird things, Iris」

「Sorry, sorry」

She apologized, though she actually thought if it’s Jessica-san she might actually say something along those lines.

But putting it into words would make Marion rampage again, so silence was essential.

After a while, Muriel together with Eclipse and the village’s kids begun playing hide-and-seek and tags.

Then, the Lord, Her Excellency Baroness Sheryl Silverlight, joined them in making a commotion. What a carefree noble.

After a while, Muriel came back to the top of the hill.

Jessica, Eclipse, and Sheryl followed right behind her.

「People are as nice as before. It was fun」

「Muriel is fast on her legs. Did you suddenly get better?」

「Umu, that might be so. It’s definitely due to everyone’s acceptance!」

「Wai, Muriel became better. Banzai」

「Banzai」

Muriel and Eclipse seemed to get along very well.

Sheryl and Jessica gazed at the two with a nonchalant smile.

「The number of cuties increased again. I want to bring her back and adopt her~」

「What are you saying, Mother?! You can’t do that!」

「Fufu, just kidding」

「Hoo…..」

Marion patted her chest.

However, there was suspicious luster in Jessica’s eyes.

Perhaps she didn’t give up on making Muriel her daughter after all.

Or more like, there might be a notion to make everyone present her daughters.

Well, Iris liked Jessica, so she didn’t mind being treated like a daughter.

One way or another, Muriel successfully blended with the villagers.

This village had high weirdo affinity in the first place.

Everyone is welcome except villains.