第６８９堀：知り合いからの情報収集 (Part2)
After all, they are the parents of the legendary Saintess Litea, who founded the Holy Nation of Litea. It’s hard to say how the current Saintess of the Holy Nation of Litea—or even a former Saintess—should feel about them.
As for the two in question...
"Yuki-san. It’s good to see you looking well."
"Oh. Yuki-dono. Sorry to intrude."
The two of them offered their greetings as if nothing were wrong.
Hm? They don't seem to have any particular issues, do they?
"Nogosh and Nonoa are taking a break outside. Should I call them back to start the meeting? Or would you two like to take a break as well?"
"No, thank you. Please, don't worry about us."
"I don't get tired just from sitting in a chair. Go ahead and bring them in."
"Understood. I'll go get them."
Hm???
They seem perfectly normal to me, but for now, I should ask my wife about the situation. I signaled Rurua with a glance as I headed out, and she followed me. Outside, four people were waiting with tense expressions.
"How was it?" the three of them asked in unison.
"No, there was nothing wrong. Or rather, they looked perfectly normal to me. Rurua, was there something about these four that was so intimidating?"
I asked Rurua directly, but she kept a troubled expression on her face.
"How should I put it... it’s as if they are ignoring each other’s existence..."
When Rurua said that, the four of them nodded in agreement.
"Ignoring?"
"Yes. They act as if they literally cannot see one another..."
"That's right. When I brought up Lilishe to Faide, he acted as if he hadn't heard me and started talking about something else entirely."
"Lilishe does the same."
Ah, I see...
"In other words, Nogosh and Nonoa tried to reconcile Lilishe and Faide."
"Yes. Even though they had a falling out, they are former spouses and our companions."
"Exactly. We didn't know they had gotten married back then, but now that the number of gods has dwindled, we just wanted to at least..."
They were clearly acting out of genuine goodwill. That much was obvious from their current conversation. But...
"I understand the situation. However, this time, we aren't going to discuss anything that might touch upon Lilishe and Faide’s relationship. Besides, this gathering was called at my request, not to serve as a reconciliation meeting."
"Hmm. I understand that, but is that really for the best?"
"Couldn't you say something, Yuki? Maybe you could make it work..."
"I understand how you feel, but if you two, who are such good friends, tried to intervene and it ended up like this, I doubt I’d have any better luck. Besides, forcing the issue might just make their relationship even more strained. I’d prefer it if they got along too, but I want to avoid making things any worse. If I bring up their reconciliation at this meeting, there’s a chance they won't participate in future ones."
They might start refusing any meeting I call, thinking it’s just another attempt to fix Lilishe and Faide’s relationship.
"...You're right. We were being impatient."
"...I suppose so. Since they were both in the same room for the meeting, we just couldn't help ourselves..."
Both of them seemed to understand my point and slumped their shoulders. I’ve known for a long time that they are good friends to the pair, so I understand their feelings.
"For now, just be patient and treat this as a starting point."
"...I suppose."
"...They've been fighting for hundreds of years, so I guess it won't be solved overnight."
With that, they looked at each other and gave bitter smiles. It seemed even they didn't expect a resolution today or tomorrow.
"Alright, let's move on to the talk about the High Elf nation and the Beast God nation."
And so, we returned to the meeting room where Lilishe and Faide were once again ignoring each other, and began our discussion.
As it turned out, the High Elf nation had a very long history, comparable to the five great powers of the Logari continent. However, as I had heard from Rurua and Lilishe, they had almost no interaction with the outside world and no ambitions, so they hadn't been deeply involved.
On the other hand, regarding the Beast God nation, it seems the Beast God was originally a tiger picked up by the gods and is now worshipped as a deity, making contact quite easy. Actually, the one who picked it up was the Saintess Litea, and her parents were none other than Lilishe and Faide.
Hmm. It makes sense why it’s in Litea’s territory. That only makes the situation between them even more awkward.
"Thank you for today, Lilishe, Faide."
"Not at all. If you'll excuse us."
"Don't worry about it. Call us anytime if you need anything."
They were keeping up appearances as if nothing were wrong, but... they didn't look at each other at all. As if the other person didn't exist.
"Nogosh, want to go for a drink today?"
"Ah, sure."
"Nonoa-chan, would you like to go to a cafe with Hairen-chan today?"
"O-oh, sure."
Hmm. It’s a full-blown cold war. It looks even worse than when they were bickering the other day.
"What should we do?"
"We'll put that on hold. Work comes first."
"...I suppose so."
"..."
Rurua and Alstaire both sighed. I wonder... the main goal was to gather information, but it feels like the problem between Lilishe and Faide has become the bigger issue. This might be a problem in its own right, too.
Well, we got the information, so work takes priority. Someday, I’ll likely be forced to deal with this divorced couple. Honestly, it’s so awkward to get caught in the middle of people who have parted ways.