第４２１堀：農耕神と女王陛下 (Part2)
"Greetings. Lord Faide, the Agricultural God. I am Seraria, the Queen of Weed."
Faide stood frozen, his mouth hanging open in a daze.
"Oh my. Have you become so ill-mannered that you cannot even return a greeting? Or have you simply gone senile?"
Snapping back to his senses at Lilishe’s biting remark, he immediately bowed his head in greeting.
"Forgive my rudeness. As you say, I am Faide, the Agricultural God. However, I suppose there is no need to ask who told you about me. Lilishe, you..."
"Oh? I wasn't told that I couldn't speak of it, you know? Besides, she is Yuki-san’s wife; it’s only natural that I should cooperate gladly. Or are you planning to defy Lady Luna’s orders?"
"...We'll discuss that properly later."
Lilishe continued to lace her words with venom as usual, but Faide ignored her and turned his gaze toward me. His eyes were those of a man trying to judge my character.
I felt certain that if I spoke with him sincerely, things wouldn't turn out poorly. Still, the intuition Aslin and Firia showed by sensing his nature through a monitor is impressive. Perhaps it’s a talent only children possess?
"Indeed. Let us have a proper talk. I believe you understand, but..."
"Am I correct in assuming that Your Majesty is acting in Yuki’s stead?"
"Yes. You may view it that way. You might consider it a breach of etiquette that Yuki himself does not appear, but given the nature of our previous conversation, I cannot carelessly expose my beloved husband—the Dungeon Master who is the hope of this world—to danger. I ask for your understanding."
"No, please, there is no need for such formality. I don't know about the other gods, but I don't rule a country; I'm just a god who enjoys working the fields."
"Is that so? Then I shall take you up on that. To be honest, we didn't expect a god to come barging in personally, so everyone—my husband included—was in quite a panic. Especially since it wasn't an official visit, but rather you coming as a common traveler."
When I said that, Faide blinked in surprise before bursting into laughter.
"Hahaha! Incredible. Even though I asked for it, I didn't expect you to adopt such a casual tone so easily."
"I have my husband to thank for that. He has no concept of gods being inherently superior. Even Hifi over there is only cooperating because we brought her to heel."
"What?! Is that true, Lady Hifi?"
"...To my shame, I stood against them and was utterly defeated by Lord Yuki," Hifi admitted.
"Ho... I can sense Lady Hifi’s power from here. I have no doubt she is a goddess. It is shocking that you routed her, but more importantly... does this 'Yuki' truly exist?"
Ah, so we're starting from there.
"Yes, he exists. I, Lady Lilishe, Hifi, and Samantha—the daughter of a Duke from the New Continent—can all guarantee it."
"Forgive my late introduction. I am Samantha, the second daughter of a ducal house in the country of Roday on the New Continent. I am also one of Lord Yuki's wives. It is an honor to meet you, Lord Faide."
"...I see. It is a pleasure. I shall believe the words of the Queen and Lady Samantha. But why is there so little information on Yuki? Why does he not step onto the public stage? I cannot say for certain if it is him, but if he had presented himself properly, the other gods might have..."
"Don't you dare suggest they would have cooperated," Lilishe interjected. "Think back on your own actions before you speak. Have you forgotten the nonsense you were spouting to try and 'persuade' me when you first arrived?"
"...My apologies. You're right. His knowledge, technology, and methods are so fundamentally different that it wouldn't have been a persuasion at all."
My, he’s quicker on the uptake than I expected. It’s a relief to know he’s good for more than just tilling fields.
"Exactly. If a mere Dungeon Master with no track record had asked for cooperation, the gods would never have accepted his policies, would they?"
"You're right. If anything, we would have tried to use him as a convenient subordinate. I am no exception; we have all grown arrogant. So, he chose to come this far on his own strength."
"And then, just as he's finally making progress—or rather, just as you finally decide to show your face—you come here not to offer help, but to complain. That was you, Faide."
When I pointed that out, Faide covered his face with both hands and muttered a single word in a low voice.
"...I am truly sorry."
For now, it seems the misunderstanding has been cleared up. Perhaps I should start 'educating' him on the information we're willing to disclose?
Well, I just hope his brain doesn't explode...
Faide turned out to be quite a sincere person. I hope this ends smoothly.