It took a lot of effort—really, a tremendous amount of effort—to explain the situation to the Goddess of Time, but somehow, I managed to convince her.
I placed about 90% of the blame on Kuro. Well, it’s not entirely wrong to say she’s at fault, even Ein-san agreed that it was mostly Kuro’s doing, and of course, the Goddess of Time agreed too.
By the way, since Lilia-san regained consciousness, she’s been trembling with a blank expression, though it feels like she’s glaring at me with some kind of grudging look. Incidentally, before acting like that, she told me, in a voice that seemed to echo from the depths of hell, “I need to talk to you about something when we get back.”
I remembered she once asked me, “You’re not hiding any friendships with any more outrageous people, right?!” To which I replied, “I don’t know any other demons anymore…” But she’s a God, not a demon, and I didn’t know she was the God of Creation… If I were to say something like that, would she forgive me? My future looks pretty bleak…
[However, receiving the blessing of Shallow Vernal-sama… Shallow Vernal-sama is the world’s God, and receiving her blessing means Miyama has received the blessing of the world itself.]
[I dunno.]
[…Why is Shallow Vernal-sama tilting her head!?]
As if to confirm the Goddess of Time’s words, Shiro-san tilted her head in what seemed like a natural gesture. Seeing her response, the Goddess of Time placed both her hands over her face.
Somehow, the Goddess of Time reminds me of Lilia-san… She must be feeling really troubled right now…
[Let’s also prepare some tea cakes. Kaito-san, you like baby castella, right?]
And Shiro-san completely ignored the Goddess of Time, who had her hands on her head. I feel so sorry for the Goddess of Time.
Also, please don’t assume everyone likes baby castella. It’s true that they’re the food I’ve probably eaten the most since coming to this world. After all, I’ve been having at least one almost every day.
But it’s not that I particularly like them—it’s because of that little demon girl who invades my room daily, bringing them with her. That’s why I eat them.
And every time I politely accept one, I can’t help but notice that the flavor keeps changing… Just yesterday, it was filled with red bean paste. Where on earth does her strange obsession with baby castella come from?
[Apparently, the best thing about them is that they’re easy to eat and won’t crumble when you carry them around like cookies.]
[Is that so? By the way, what food does Shiro-san like?]
[I don’t have any particular preference.]
[Fumu fumu, I like sweet things like confectioneries, especially apple pies… though, I guess you’d call them ripple pies in this world. I liked them so much that I even tried making one myself… but it didn’t turn out very well.]
Not being able to do much more for the Goddess of Time, I set her aside for the moment and began chatting with Shiro-san.
Shiro-san listened with a blank expression, and after seeming to grasp something, she waved her finger. Suddenly, a freshly baked ripple pie appeared on the table.
[Here you go.]
[Ah, thank you very much… A freshly made one just appeared out of nowhere. Did it come from something like a Magic Box?]
[No, I just made it just now.]
[…Is that some kind of power the God of Creation possesses?]
[Yes.]
[I feel like that’s a colossal waste of power, though.]
[That might be so.]
Once again, I realize it might be strange that I’m talking so casually with the God of Creation, but Shiro-san doesn’t seem to mind… In fact, she seems to be enjoying herself, with the corner of her mouth slightly raised. As we talk about things I can understand, I’m having fun too.
Lilia-san and the others were still deep in discussion about the summoning magic circle. Once the chaos in their minds settled, they returned to their conversation on the topic. I can’t follow what they’re saying at all, so it looks like Shiro-san and I will be talking for a while longer.
[I see, so this is what it means to be a capture target.]
[That’s definitely not the case.]
Dear Mom, Dad—Well, things have been a bit confusing, and it might be rude to say this… I have a lot of complaints, but I actually enjoy talking to Shiro-san in a different way than I do with Kuro. One way or another—we’re probably getting along.
Quietly stepping away from Kaito and Shallow Vernal, who were engaged in conversation, Chronois, Ein, and Lilia exchanged glances.
[……Kaito-san is amazing. For him to be that close to the God of Creation… I feel suffocated just looking at her, let alone having a conversation with her.]
[No, Lilia. Your reaction to her presence is completely normal… Shallow Vernal-sama is clearly on a different level from us. The sheer magic power she radiates intimidates everyone around her. Unless you’re exceptionally strong, you shouldn’t be able to act normally in her presence… So how is it that Miyama can have a casual conversation with her?]
Lilia exclaimed in admiration as she watched Kaito, somehow happily chatting with Shallow Vernal, while Chronois offered a follow-up.
Just as Chronois mentioned, the magic power of an almost omnipotent being like Shallow Vernal exerts such a pressure that it unintentionally intimidates everyone—even from the magic power leaking out of her.
Although not as powerful as Shallow Vernal, both Chronois, the Supreme God, and Ein, the High-ranking Duke-rank demon, can still be intimidating to the less powerful Humans. This is similar to what Kuromueina did when she visited Lilia’s mansion before.
However, much like Kuromueina at the beginning, both Chronois and Ein would typically make an effort to avoid intimidating those around them, consciously suppressing their magical power. This allowed Lilia to hold conversations with them, despite still feeling nervous in their presence.
Shallow Vernal, on the other hand, has no such reservations. Even in ordinary situations, she doesn’t suppress her magical power, and while it’s nothing compared to the sheer force she could unleash at full power, the magic power surrounding her is still powerful enough to rival the magic power that Chronois and Ein emit when they’re ready for battle.
Therefore, for someone to converse with Shallow Vernal without being intimidated should have been impossible—unless they possessed the extraordinary power of top-tier beings of the world like Chronois and Ein.
[……It’s probably a special trait of his. It’s just a guess, but Kaito-san’s body… or rather, his magic power seems to be accepting and adapting to non-hostile magic at an alarming rate.]
[I see. Speaking of which, he did release his magic power while imbuing his will into it. Magic that influences the mind and emotions must be his strength. And for him to be able to go against Shallow Vernal-sama’s magic power, he must have quite the talent.]
[That’s likely why Kuromu-sama took such a strong interest in Kaito-sama.]
[……That could very well be it. The more powerful a being is, the more intriguing it is to find someone like Miyama, who has hardly any power yet was able to converse with them as an equal. In fact, I found him interesting myself when I heard your thoughts just now.]
Yes, in a sense, Kaito is a very rare and intriguing existence, especially from the perspective of overwhelmingly powerful beings like Chronois and the others.
Though his existence is so small that it could be seen as vulnerable from the viewpoint of these women, he is still someone who wouldn’t be easily intimidated—unless they released their magic power filled with hostility.
Recognizing once again the rarity of beings like Miyama Kaito, Chronois fell silent for a moment before turning to Lilia with a serious expression on her face.
[……Lilia. You’d better be careful from now on.]
[……Eh?]
[He easily captivates those with great power… which means there will be many opportunities for such beings to take an interest in him. However, just because they’re interested in him doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll like him.]
[……Y-Yes!]
As she listened to Chronois speak with a serious expression, Lilia seemed to have grasped the meaning of her words. She straightened up and nodded.
Yes, it’s easy for Kaito to attract the attention of powerful beings. In other words, there’s a good chance he will continue to draw the interest of such strong individuals in the future.
[Be especially careful with the Six Kings. The only one you’ve properly spoken to, along with that guy, is the Underworld King, right? Don’t think of that one as the standard for the Six Kings. It’s an oddity, even in the Demon Realm.]
[……………..]
[If you can, stay away from the territories of the War King and the Death King. If you upset them, they will kill you without hesitation, even if you’re an otherworlder…]
[!?]
[Especially ” Death King Isis Remnant”… You’ve probably seen her before, right? Her very existence is a “mass of death”… Be extremely cautious about getting involved with her.]
[……Yes.]
After absorbing the weight of Chronois’s serious words, Lilia nodded nervously.
She had never planned to visit the War King and Death King’s territories, but after hearing those words, she made sure to commit them to memory.
Seeing Lilia like that, Chronois gave a slight smile.
[Well, if the situation escalates too much, just call out to me. I’ll lend you a hand then. I’m one of the Supreme Gods, after all, and I don’t think I’d be too late to take on the Six Kings.]
[Those words are reassuring.]
While watching Chronois and Lilia exchanging words, Ein was quietly thinking.
[…… (Death King Isis… “The King of the Sorrowful Souls” who rules over countless undead… However, if she were to meet him, if it’s Kaito-sama…)]
Her eyes were fixed on Kaito as he conversed with the God of Creation, as though she were anticipating something.