It’s been a few days since Wilhelmina came to visit, and for once, I’m home alone.
Tiltue came here, and Reina left to go take a walk with her, along with Snow.
Apparently Snow and Tiltue have gotten pretty friendly without me noticing…
‘Tiltue! Let’s play!’
‘W-wait, d-don’t get close Snow! That’s far enough!’
‘Bam!’
‘Nuwaaaah!?’
I’ve been seeing scenes like this pretty often recently, and I think it’s pretty charming.
Although it’s actually rough for Tiltue when Snow tackles her like that.
“But it’s nice that they get along… Hn?”
As I hang out at home by myself, I suddenly feel strong magic energy emerging outside.
It feels familiar, and I go out to check.
“Excuse me.”
“Ah, so it really is you, Miss Sheryl. Welcome. What is it?”
She makes a face like she doesn’t know how to respond, but in the end, starts explaining.
“There’s a little trouble, so come help.”
Before I can even respond, a dark shadow covers me, and I’m suddenly in her temple. The colosseum, to be more precise.
And in front of me there is a black ball… A darkness prison.
“Miss Sheryl, I’m getting deja-vu…”
“Yes, and I imagine what you’re thinking is most likely correct.”
“…Can you tell me what happened first?”
I guess there’s trouble again. I’m not even going to argue.
Whatever I say won’t change the future that lies ahead, so I’ll just take the explanation.
“Yes… Remember how those two idiots fought before?”
“Yes.”
The grandpa incident. That’s what I decided to call it anyway.
“But I thought that was settled with both wanting to be invited…”
Neither has come to see Snow, most likely because Miss Sheryl is holding them down.
“Can’t we just let them see her?”
“You say that like it’s simple. If they go crazy and change the geography, are you going to take responsibility for that?”
“Ah…”
I don’t really have anything to say to that.
Even the emperor boar rampaging around changed the forest quite a bit. If people of this island who are actually strong go all out, the land is really going to change a lot.
“Uh? But this island always goes back to normal before I know it.”
For example, the forest the emperor boar destroyed was restored before I knew it.
I figured it was strange, but I just sort of accepted it because it’s fantasy…
“This island has restorative power, but that’s if it is destroyed by regular monsters. If abnormal beings like us destroy it, it goes beyond its restorative power and it will take longer to go back to normal.”
“I didn’t know that…”
“It makes sense, considering unlike before, there aren’t that many opportunities do display our true power.”
Miss Sheryl reaches towards the darkness prison, and the darkness slowly begins to fade.
“Those two idiots are fighting over who gets to be invited first…”
“…”
Once the darkness is lifted, I see the two great spirits, in a state that I could describe as wounded all over.
They’re glaring at each other with such intensity, that you’d think they were carrying the future of their races on their backs.
“…Aren’t they a bit too serious?”
“Those two have problems.”
They know they’ve been released from the darkness prison, but they’re not showing any signs of wanting to stop fighting.
They yell, and start grappling.
“So what do you want from me?”
“They’re not going to reach a conclusion, so you pick who gets invited first.”
I peek at them, and see they’re really serious. They’re really fighting over who gets to be called grandpa first.
“…Although the one that doesn’t get picked will probably resent me for life.”
“But in return, the one that does will protect you for life.”
That doesn’t make it even at all.
“Maybe I should just take both and let Snow decide…”
“That’s fine by me, but you stop them if they start rampaging.”
“…All right.”
I go down to the colosseum, and get between them.
“Nu! You!”
“You dare cut into our sacred battle!?”
Both turn to me with threatening expressions.
I feel like they’re powerful to the point where anyone else would’ve died from those glares alone.
“Leaving aside whether this is sacred or not, Miss Sheryl is allowing me to take you two to Snow. Do you want to keep fighting?”
“All right, let’s go, Giarth!”
“Hm!”
“You self-interested…”
I laugh awkwardly at the two shaking hands perfectly in sync, like they weren’t just fighting, and turn to Miss Sheryl.
“I heard more or less what’s going on, but I don’t know who Snow will call first either.”
“Ou.”
“I understand that quite well.”
“So whoever isn’t picked, please don’t go crazy.”
““…””
Both suddenly turn silent.
“I won’t take you otherwise, you know?”
“A-all right!”
“I promise!”
“Good.”
I’m sure now they won’t rampage around our house, right?
“By the way Arata… What do you want? Tell me anything.”
“I am an earth great spirit. I can make your wishes come true.”
They’re not even trying to hide that they’re bribing me…
“Bribing me won’t make Snow like you any more, you know?”
“W-who said anything about bribing!? I’m just asking what my friend wants!”
“Y-yes! I am simply asking what my son wants!”
Both are trying so hard to pretend, but they really are trying to buy favor. And Mister Giarth is calling me his son all of a sudden.
“I don’t want or wish for anything you can give me, so rest easy and accept your fate.”
I turn to Miss Sheryl, and she’s glaring at them with sharp eyes.
“We are going to his place, but you’re not going to go crazy, are you?”
“O-of course not! Right, Giarth?”
“Hm!”
Really… I have my doubts, but I am happy that they want to meet Snow.
Miss Sheryl envelops us in darkness, and I’m back to the front door of our home.
I feel presences inside, meaning Reina and Snow are back from their walk.
“I’ll go explain what’s going on.”
“Hold it.”
“Eh?”
“If you go in alone, they might not accept it later. I’m going with you.
Yes, those two are fidgeting.
I guess if I see Snow first out of their sights, they might complain about it later.
“All right. Then let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
And so, I enter the house with Miss Sheryl.
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I half expect Snow to ignore both of them and instead say hello to Sheryl the dark spirit.