When word arrived from Lunamaria, who had been attending to guests at the front door, Lilia’s first thought was a weary: So, they’ve finally arrived.
"Electrone-sama is here, accompanied by a person who appears to be the Bipolar God. They have come to offer you a brief greeting while visiting Miyama-sama's residence. Miyama-sama himself is not present."
"Electrone-sama is with her? That is unexpected... I had considered the possibility that the Bipolar God might visit alone, but I assumed Kaito-san would be with her."
Lilia was already aware that Tiana had been visiting Kaito, and she had expected that a formal introduction would be necessary sooner rather than later. She had assumed Kaito would be the one to facilitate it, but she had also kept the possibility in mind that a god might simply drop by unannounced, just as Electrone had done during the birthday party.
"If the Bipolar God and Electrone-sama are acquainted, then they share a common circle of friends. It wouldn't be out of the question for Electrone-sama to perform the introduction instead of Kaito-san. Lunamaria, the reason you said 'a person appearing to be the Bipolar God' is because Electrone-sama handled the actual greeting at the door, correct? Are you certain that the individual is the Bipolar God?"
"I believe there is almost no room for doubt... You will understand immediately once you see her, Milady."
"I have a very bad feeling about this... Regardless, there is no option but to receive them. Please, show them in."
While Lunamaria's specific phrasing did little to soothe her growing anxiety, Lilia knew better than to turn away gods from another world who had gone out of their way to visit. In truth, she had been waiting in the reception room specifically because she knew this meeting was inevitable, so there was no reason to delay.
She rose from her seat and waited for their arrival. A moment later, Lunamaria returned.
"I have brought them."
"Please, enter."
At Lilia's invitation, Lunamaria opened the door. First came the familiar Electrone—followed by Tiana, who stepped into the room to the faint, ethereal chime of bells. In that instant, Lilia finally understood the weight of Lunamaria’s earlier warning.
The existence known as Tiana was simply too overwhelming. It wasn't that she emitted a sense of malice or a suffocating aura like the magic power of death. One didn't feel as though they were being strangled.
No, this was something else. To put it into words, the sheer scale of her presence was on an entirely different magnitude. One glance was all it took to grasp the truth. Beyond mere differences in power, Lilia felt as though their very planes of existence were fundamentally incompatible.
Though the woman possessed a humanoid body roughly the same size as her own, the presence she projected was that of a titan towering into the heavens. Lilia found herself reflexively catching her breath, her instincts screaming at her about the absolute difference in their status.
However, since this was merely a matter of presence rather than active pressure, she was still able to move and speak.
"Welcome. Please, have a seat."
"I apologize for the sudden visit. It has been a while since Kaito-san's birthday party, but I am relieved to see you are in good health."
"It has been some time, Electrone-sama."
"And this is our first meeting. My name is Tiana. I'm a god from another world, though some people call me the Bipolar God. I'm happy to meet you, Lilia-chan."
"It is an honor to meet you. My name is Lilia Albert."
The two gods took their seats as they exchanged greetings. After confirming they were settled, Lilia sat in the chair opposite them with a polite, "Pardon me."
(A-As expected of a god, her presence is truly staggering... but she seems to have a very gentle air about her. That, at least, is a relief.)
While the presence of an overwhelming superior being was startling, Lilia sensed a soft, kind aura from Tiana’s smile, just as Kaito had during their first meeting. At the very least, she lacked the crushing intimidation that Machina—or rather, Eden—had projected at first. Since Lilia already knew Electrone was a pleasant person from their time at the party, she managed to find a small measure of peace.
...Even so, sitting across from a being of such monumental presence made her instinctively sit as straight as a board.
What Lilia didn't realize was that Tiana wasn't projecting this aura on purpose. In fact, she had suppressed her power significantly to match this world. The problem lay in her calibration; she had adjusted herself based on Kaito's reactions.
Tiana had dialed herself down to roughly the same level Electrone had used at the birthday party. However, while Electrone had eventually recalibrated after observing how everyone other than Kaito reacted, Tiana had seen Kaito's lack of distress and concluded that her current level was perfectly fine.
Since Tiana expected Lilia to be nervous when meeting a foreign god anyway, she didn't realize that her "suppressed" presence was still coming across as a colossal force of nature.
Electrone, having made the same mistake herself once, might have normally noticed. But at their level of power, an adjustment of this degree was effectively a margin of error. Unless someone as fragile as a complete commoner was present to react, it was difficult for them to realize they were still overawing those around them.
Through this series of coincidences, Lilia found herself trapped in a chair opposite a god radiating the aura of a supreme being. Despite her guest’s seemingly kind disposition, Lilia’s stomach was already beginning to throb with a sharp, familiar pain.