第４２０堀：神々が動くその理由 (Part1)
**Chapter 420: The Reason the Gods are Moving**
Side: Yuki
Man, with the information being that fragmented, you’d naturally think it was a trap.
I’ve thought this before, but while I purposely created a situation where a reliable bigwig would have no choice but to step in, I never imagined I’d hook an actual god. I don’t know if he’s just light on his feet or if his head is completely empty, but whoever planned this is something else.
Faide himself is certainly a wild card. Or rather, you could call him a joker. But even a card like that depends on how you use it.
Sure, using Faide as a pawn to extract information from a relatively reliable source like Lilishe is effective, but they also had to consider the possibility of information leaking to us in return. Well, if they just didn’t know what to do with the "Faide" card, I suppose using this as an excuse to get rid of him is one way to go, but if they’re using him for some other scheme, it’s not a very clever move.
On top of that, he didn’t come on an official visit; he’s here as a "personal tourist." If I felt like it, I could just cook up some reason to detain him and that would be the end of it. I can’t rule out the possibility that they’re aiming for exactly that, but even if I did detain someone who came here privately—as opposed to an official envoy—it wouldn’t give their nation a legitimate reason to intervene.
I seriously don’t understand the point of a god coming all this way just to investigate me.
"But it’s been strange from the start. Even if he’s here to see Lilishe, with that attitude of his, I can’t see it going well," Seraria remarked.
Hmm. She’s right. Maybe I should rethink this.
As I fell into thought, Aslin, who was standing beside me, spoke up.
"Hey, Big Brother. That old man isn't scary at all. It feels like he just came here to meet us normally."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Um, well... I don't think he's planning to do anything bad."
"Ah, Firia feels the same way, too!"
Firia chimed in with her agreement, and my other wives added that they didn't sense any hostility from him either.
It’s true, I don’t sense any ill will from him either. In that case... wait a second. Come to think of it...
"Ah, I get it now!" I clapped my hands together.
"Did you figure something out?" Seraria asked.
"Yeah. I figured out Faide’s position."
"What do you mean? Faide was asked by the other gods to... Oh, I see."
It seems Seraria finally realized it based on her own words.
"What are you talking about? Isn't that Faide guy working for the gods who are plotting things?" Dressa asked.
"I agree with Dressa, but is there something we're missing?" Jessica added.
Dressa and Jessica seemed confused as to why we were suddenly satisfied. Well, it couldn't be helped. Seraria and I had been in the same boat until just now.
"Like Seraria said, Faide was *asked* to come here."
"?"
"Asked... Ah, I understand now," Jessica said, catching on.
"Hey, I still don't get it!" Dressa complained.
"Calm down. Thanks to Aslin and the others, I’ve managed to cool my head. That Faide guy just came here because he was asked; he’s not an enemy."
"Oh!" Dressa’s face finally lit up with realization.
"His arguments are completely off-base, but he’s being perfectly sincere. I mean, if you don't have any prior knowledge, the logic that everything is 'thanks to Luna' isn't entirely incomprehensible. That’s why he’s appealing to us so earnestly."
"I see... It makes sense. If we hadn't learned about 'science' and stuff from Yuki, we'd probably think it was all thanks to Lady Luna, too."
"Though, in reality, that useless goddess is just extorting supplies from us," I muttered.
"...Well, she *is* a goddess, so isn't it fine?"
No, it’s not fine.
Well, thanks to that, people like Dressa, Lilishe, and Hifi—who mistakenly believe Lady Luna is a high-ranking goddess—don't complain even when I treat her like garbage. Honestly, if she were a respectable goddess, I wouldn't treat her that way. In the first place, Alourito wouldn't be in this state if she were competent.
"In that case, instead of making him make ice cream, shouldn't we just ask Lady Luna to explain things?" Dressa suggested.
"Dressa, that’s a bad idea," Seraria immediately shot her down before I could even answer.
"Why?"
"Think about it. If people who are so devoted to Luna that they claim our technology is 'impossible' saw what she’s actually like right now, what do you think they’d say?"
"..." Dressa went silent.
She had a point. If they saw her in a red tracksuit, with laundry left hanging in the room, rolling around on the floor amidst scattered snack bags while scratching her stomach...
"...They'd probably say we've corrupted Lady Luna."
"Exactly. Even if we brought a 'presentable' version of Luna, it wouldn't work. They’ve been watching from the sidelines this whole time despite our requests for cooperation, and now that we’ve developed, they send Faide to complain. They’d just find some random excuse to become our enemies."
The fact that they didn't come themselves is the biggest proof of that. Besides, that useless goddess was corrupted from the very beginning.
"They probably intended for me to solve this problem anyway, so I guess I just have to do my best."
In the end, I knew that relying on Luna’s prestige would only cause more problems, so I had to solve this on my own.
...Technically, the root cause isn't Luna or me, but the local idiot gods who couldn't produce results until now. I knew they were fools from the initial explanation, but seeing it play out like this is just depressing. It really makes you realize the importance of schools and education.
That said, if you asked me if I wanted to go back to my student days, the answer would be a hard "no."
"First, let’s pull Faide over to our side. He’s not an enemy; he’s just a negotiator. By making him make ice cream, we’re showing him evidence of research, technology, and the crystallization of 'waste'—things that are easier to understand than military force—to prove we aren't relying on Luna."
"Waste? Are you talking about the ice cream?"
"Yeah. Normally, you’d think it’s a waste to go out of your way to cool things down just to make a snack when it’s hot, right?"
"I mean, I guess... but we have refrigerators here."
"That’s only because we're here. From an outsider's perspective, it’s a nonsensical idea and a waste of technology. Though, that's actually the most important part of invention. Nobody else would think to use a tool meant for long-term food preservation just to make a luxury snack, right?"
"So, that's how we prove it's not Lady Luna's idea, but ours—or rather, technology from Yuki's hometown."
"Exactly. Vanilla, the ingredient for vanilla essence, is difficult to cultivate on this continent. Even back on Earth, it’s almost impossible to grow in Japan. It’s a crop that only grows in warm areas right near the equator."
"So that's why you included vanilla. You had that in mind all along."
"Bringing out food that doesn't exist on this continent is a perfect way to show the difference in technology and culture."
Meanwhile, Faide himself, who had been making the ice cream, was currently slumped over the table taking a break. The arm he had used to hold the whisk was twitching with spasms.
That’s what happens when you do a task you’re not used to. The fatigue doubles. Honestly, I’m impressed he finished it all by hand. I consider whisking by hand to be a form of torture in the world of sweets-making. People in the old days really did that with their bare hands.
Oh, maybe I should make people caught for crimes in Weed work on making ice cream or sweets? Specifically as the whisking squad. The "torture" of repetitive labor exists as a concept, and it would lead to the production of Weed’s original sweets. Plus, it would be "warm social reintegration support" (punishment) for those caught.
Seeing Faide in that state, even Lilishe didn't press him further and was instead leisurely sipping her tea.