第１２８４堀：ある不思議 (Part1)
Chapter 1284: A Certain Mystery
Side: Senaru
“*Hic*…”
Lilishe and Hairen, my colleagues, let out a synchronized, dainty burp.
And they aren’t just colleagues in the sense that we work together at the Litia Church; we are colleagues as goddesses, too.
…I don’t know what it is. Seeing them stuffed with lunch, looking so satisfied, they seem no different from ordinary people. Yet, as expected of goddesses, there’s a strange wonder in how they still manage to look beautiful.
“Hey, Yuki. Are those two always like this?”
I mean, we’re about to have an important meeting. Is it really okay for them to eat until they’re in that state?
Actually, looking at the reactions of the others, is this just normal for them?
No, could this be the common sense of Weed?
Just as I started to feel anxious, wondering if I was the one out of touch with the local norms…
“No, why are you surprised now? They’ve always been like this, haven’t they?”
“Eh? But at the church, they usually…”
I started to say that, then paused to think back.
Right, their meals at the church… Lilishe aside, Hairen was always stuffing her face alongside the children.
No, come to think of it, Lilishe was quite the eater herself.
“Yeah… I suppose you’re right. They’re always like this.”
*Haa~*, I sighed, pressing a hand to my forehead.
What on earth have I been looking at all this time?
I mean, despite being like this, they are “powerful goddesses” who command a level of faith I couldn’t even hope to reach, so they must be competent, but…
Ugh, I just can’t bring myself to accept it.
“The world doesn’t work by rewarding those who do the ‘right’ thing. Besides, ‘righteousness’ is subjective and doesn’t apply everywhere, so don’t let it bother you.”
“Thank you.”
Yuki cut straight through my frustration, telling me not to worry.
Well, he’s certainly right about that.
It’s precisely because there are so many different values and methods for resolution that conflicts arise.
I need to calm down.
I must channel this jealousy into self-improvement rather than hostility.
Thinking in short-sighted terms—like wanting to defeat them or wishing they would just disappear—is wrong.
“Alright, let’s get started before these two idiots fall asleep from being too full.”
Yuki declared the start of the meeting, so I pulled myself together and lifted my head.
“So, today’s topic: the recent movements of the gods. Any new information? Lilishe, Hairen?”
He’s asking the two with full stomachs first.
Yes, I suppose that’s the most logical approach.
Hairen, for one, has already placed various items on the table, clearly preparing for a nap.
“By the way, if you fall asleep just because you spoke first, I’m calling Enor-san.”
“Why!?”
“Don’t slack on the job. You might remember something or realize something while listening to others, so no early exits.”
“Nngghh…”
Hairen made a frustrated face, but Yuki is right.
Well, it is Hairen’s daily routine to nap with the children after lunch…
Because of that habit… well, let’s just keep that in mind.
“So, have you heard anything? From Nonoa, Hifie, or anyone else?”
“Hmm. I haven’t heard anything in particular. How about you, Hairen-chan?”
“Me neither. It’s been perfectly peaceful. Besides, I don’t really go back to my home turf, so I wouldn’t know. Isn’t Yuki the one monitoring them? Aquenos… or was it Aquenoki?”
“That guy is still just silently training his sword skills in a village near the Great Mountain Range. No contact, nothing.”
Come to think of it, there was that idiot from the Middle-Tier God faction who fought Hairen, wasn’t there?
“I see. So it’s a lull for now. Still, since we’re planning to implement the exchange student program, movements in various places should start to pick up. Lilishe, you two should share information among the gods, and if anything looks dangerous, report it back here.”
“Ehh~. That’s a given~. I won’t allow anyone to disturb the peace~.”
“Obviously. I’ll just blow those idiots away!”
Ah, they both seem motivated.
Well, that just shows how important this peace is to them.
I feel the same way.
The distribution network and the connections between countries fostered by the gates Weed created.
Understanding this, it’s clear that wars between nations rarely happen anymore.
It’s physically impossible.
If some small nation—or even a major power—were to declare war on a member of the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance, the other nations, including those on other continents, would send reinforcements based on the alliance treaty.
In other words, the entire alliance would become the enemy of the aggressor, and personnel and supplies would be replenished smoothly via the gates.
There is no way to win, no matter how you look at it.
The only one with even a sliver of a chance might be the Zlarble Great Empire, with its overwhelming national power?
They are unified under Emperor Eupia, so their coordination is vastly superior to the alliance’s, and having fought the Hain Empire until recently, their combat proficiency is extremely high.
Even so, that’s just a possibility.
It’s obvious they couldn’t invade other countries.
After all, if they did, their access to the gates would be cut off, leaving them stuck in a defensive struggle.
And, though I don’t know how one would even go about it, this all assumes Weed isn’t involved.
Yes, the moment Weed becomes an enemy, the outcome is decided.
Their fundamental technological prowess is on a different level.
That’s why it’s hard to imagine an enemy challenging this Intercontinental Exchange Alliance head-on, and even if they did, it wouldn’t be much of a problem.
Yuki thinks so too, which is why he’s more wary of the existence of gods, who operate outside the framework of nations.
Well, even from my perspective, I can see why the situation brought about by Yuki, a Dungeon Master, wouldn’t be very amusing—I can feel that jealousy within myself.
There must be many gods—mere fools, really—who are angry that “some Dungeon Master who popped out of nowhere is standing above the gods.”
After all, Dungeon Masters were created by the High-Tier God, Luna, when she judged existing gods to be useless.
In other words, their very existence could be seen as an insult to the gods.
There are still many such gods on this continent of Logari where Weed is located, and not all of them are allies of Weed; there are others on different continents as well.
If those “unsubmissive gods” exist, I find it hard to believe they would just sit idly by while the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance, built by Yuki, grows even stronger through this new exchange student program.
If anything, even a fool would know that if they don’t make a move now, their position will only worsen.
“Speaking of reporting information, that reminds me—can’t Lilishe contact the gods within the Logari continent? There was a mention of a Beast God, Gota, in the documents I got from Luna. That’s different from the tiger, right?”
“Beast God Gota? Come to think of it, there was someone like that~. I haven’t heard a peep about them lately~. Actually, it’s a bit hard to say, but~, based on Luna-sama’s information alone, it’s questionable if they even still exist~.”
I thought to myself, *How rude to speak of a High-Tier God like that*, when…
“Well, yeah~. I can’t go around asking directly, so could you gather information on which gods are still active? Well, it’s the same thing as asking you to report information like I said before.”
“That’s understood~. Leave it to me~.”
“Yeah, Luna-sama is a bit scatterbrained, after all.”
…Is that really okay?
No, come to think of it, she did put us through a sort of screening that invited backlash, but she didn’t seem to care at all, just leaving us to our own devices. Perhaps she doesn’t concern herself with such trivial details?
As I was thinking this, Yuki turned toward me…