第３６８堀：新しいお友達 (Part2)
"Labyris, please calm down."
"Let go, Shera. I can't punch that guy."
"No, spare me the lines that sound like they came from some mystery novel. Anyway, looking at you, it seems like you'll get along fine with Aslin and the others. Let's leave it at that for today; you should go take a look around Weed together."
"Huh? Ah, right, you said this place isn't the Kingdom of Ex anymore, didn't you? Do you really think I'd believe such a joke? Well, I appreciate the concern, and I'm grateful for the free time to wander around, so I'll take you up on that."
"Make sure you come back when the four of you say you will."
"I'm not a child!! I know that much!! Come on, let's go."
With that, Dressa took the lead, and we headed out of the room.
...Sigh. I wonder what will happen when she sees Weed at this rate?
I really hope she knows how to behave herself.
"Whoa!! What is this!! What is this!!"
It was hopeless.
She was completely acting like a wide-eyed tourist.
"Hey, don't just wander off on your own."
"Gueh!?"
I grabbed her by the collar and hauled back Dressa, who was trying to trot off wherever she pleased.
"What was that for!?"
"What was that for, indeed. You said yourself you aren't a child, so try to act a little more composed."
"Ugh..."
"Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Weed is in a league of its own compared to anywhere else."
"In a league of its own? It’s more like it’s one or two levels of civilization ahead of everywhere else."
"I don't know what you're talking about. And seriously, this really isn't the royal capital of Ex, is it? When was I even brought out here? Where are we? You said 'Weed,' right? It looks even busier than the royal capital. Is this the royal capital of Zilba or August? Or maybe a trade city belonging to them?"
Hmm. Yuki hasn't told me about Dressa's background, but for someone around our age to be able to rattle off names like that so fluently... could she have been some kind of noble?
That said, there's no way she'd understand if I told her Weed is on a completely different continent from the one she came from, so I won't bother.
It's better to just give her a story she'll find convincing to put her at ease for now.
"Dressa-chan, Weed is on a different continent."
"Huh?"
"Ah, she thinks I'm lying. Weed really is on a different continent, way across the sea."
Ah, I said it before the other two could stop me.
Dressa's reaction was exactly as expected; she definitely didn't believe it.
"Listen, both of you. The land we live on is one single piece. There are small islands, sure, but beyond the sea, there's an endless waterfall, and if you fall off that, you can never come back. You fall right off the world."
...No, stay calm.
That way of thinking is standard even in Weed.
It's just that since we've absorbed knowledge from Earth, we think it's silly.
In reality, that mindset is the default, and there's nothing wrong with it.
Yuki mentioned that they’ve managed to observe and confirm that this land is a sphere, and he was relieved that it wasn't some bizarre construct held together by magic.
If it were, the natural cycle would be completely unpredictable, and we'd have to rethink the causality of magic from scratch.
"Eh, that's wrong. The place we're in is a veeery big ball, you know?"
"That's right. It's a sphere. That's why if you keep going right, you'll eventually come back from the left."
"There's no way that's possible. And who taught you such blasphemous things? It's an insult to the gods, isn't it? You'll be punished!"
"Muu!! Big Sister Luna wouldn't punish anyone for something like that!"
"I'm pouting!! There's no way Big Sister Luna would do something so troublesome!!"
Ah, this is bad.
To Dressa, statements that change the nature of the world are heresy and a source of instability for the people, so it seems she can't easily accept them.
This really makes it more likely that she comes from a noble background.
I have to stop this quickly.
Well, as the two of them said, Luna wouldn't consider this silly conversation blasphemy; in fact, she's probably taking pictures right now, saying how cute they are. And I agree that she wouldn't bother with something as tedious as doling out punishment.
"A dark-skinned girl has appeared!! Yeah, taking pictures like this, she's got a strange allure, so it works!! Maybe I should try tanning my skin too."
...She was there.
Though, she was using perception-blocking and illusion magic so as not to be noticed by passersby, snapping photos away.
"...Shera."
"...I haven't seen anything. Come on, the three of you. Let's go look around the city. Yuki-san won't be happy if you start fighting, you know?"
"Au. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
"I got too worked up, too. Sorry. Now, we've made up, so please show us around Weed."
" "Yeah!" "
We can't do anything about that useless goddess, so as Shera said, it's better to just enjoy the time with the three of them.
For now, let's guide them to places that will make Dressa's jaw drop.
Yes, yes, that was the story of the lively children.
Oh, and I don't know anything about the useless goddess.
Well, as you can probably tell, because Labyris and the others have gotten involved with Dressa, I think Labyris and her group will also become involved with Ex.
Since Ex is the stopping point for the New Continent, I expect it will turn into an all-out war.
Changing the subject, this is the last post before the Great Kyushu Touhou Festival.
Golden Week is starting.
I'll be doing something exhausting right from the start, but do you all have any plans?
On the days off after the convention, I bought a nice drawing tablet, so I might draw and post some of the characters who haven't been designed in the *Victory Dungeon* books yet. Like Ria, Jessica, Cleena, or Samantha.
Oh, and I have plastic models to build too. Man, it’s going to be a busy Golden Week!!