The Creator God had to build a world, following the dictates of a grander will.
First, he brought forth the God of Time.
Struck by her perfection, he immediately took her as his wife.
The God of Time, in her role as his consort, gave birth to the God of the Sun, the God of the Moon, and the God of the Earth.
The God of the Moon was born as a pair of twins. This is why two moons hang in the night sky.
Working together with the God of Time and their four children, the Creator God brought the world into being.
"And that is the dawn of the world," Progenitor-san announced, speaking at length from the podium.
It was likely a deeply profound and sacred story, but almost no one was listening. Everyone was far too preoccupied with the food and the sake. I was only half-listening myself, catching only the most salient points.
The God of the Sun sired the God of Light and the God of Fire. The Gods of the Moon gave birth to the God of Darkness and the God of Water.
The God of the Earth made attempt after attempt to create, but met only with failure. Yet, unable to bring himself to discard his creations, he cherished them nonetheless. Those failures are the very beings who inhabit the world today.
Or something to that effect.
So, we’re the "failed" versions, huh?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, the story shifted. Apparently, it wasn't that we were inadequate for the gods, but rather that the God of the Earth had bestowed upon us the unique gift of growth. Or something like that.
I really should try to listen properly next time.
Regardless, the priority for now was the sake and the feast. The reason for the banquet was simple: morale management.
Progenitor-san’s team had been discovering and excavating those massive black rocks, and I had been processing them. We had maintained a pace of one per day for five days straight. This proved that my theory about the regular heptagon was correct. Or perhaps I should be praising Progenitor-san’s surveying skills instead?
In any case, the primary victims of this endeavor were Lu, Flora, Tia, and Granmaria, who had been conscripted by Progenitor-san. They had been tasked with excavating through two hundred meters of bedrock. While they used magic rather than their bare hands, the sheer physical and mental toll was immense.
They had endured this for five consecutive days.
By the final day, Lu was actively plotting Progenitor-san’s assassination, and Flora was smiling eerily while staring at rows of medicine bottles. Tia’s eyes had gone completely hollow, and Granmaria was wordlessly honing a lance-like weapon. Apparently, the four of them had tried to jump him together, but it hadn't ended well for them.
I had personally felt there was no need to rush so much, but seeing those massive black rocks filled me with such unease that I simply followed his lead in silence. Every time I carved a god’s likeness, the black stone turned white, which felt immensely satisfying—like something foul was being bleached away or purified.
Then came the sense of total exhilaration when the fifth—or seventh, counting from the first statue of the Creator God—was finally complete. It was a massive weight off my shoulders. I had actually shouted, "I did it!" in triumph.
Meanwhile, the four women were utterly spent. Progenitor-san had performed the same amount of work, yet he seemed perfectly fine. I wonder what the difference was? When I had traveled with Hakuren before, she had been completely drained. Was that work more exhausting than this?
To soothe their ruffled feathers, I organized this banquet in the hall of my mansion. Of course, I invited the rest of the village too. If I hadn't, the hall would have just become a venue for airing grievances and curses against Progenitor-san.
"Dragons are divine beasts, born to the God of Time when the Creator God was unfaithful. That is why they never back down, even when facing a god," Progenitor-san explained.
"Oh, wow," a group of beastman girls replied, captivated by his answers to their mythological questions.
"No one in Howlin Village ever taught us things like that," Galf muttered, watching the exchange.
"Don't you have something like a church?" I asked.
"Didn't I mention that Howlin Village is nomadic? The only church is back where we first started."
"Then how do you handle weddings?"
"We just handle them ourselves in the village."
"I see."
"While the Demon Kingdom isn't strictly hostile toward the church, its influence isn't particularly strong," Beezel added, joining the conversation. He’s been staying here for quite a while now. Is that really all right? I hope the Demon King isn't getting annoyed.
In a corner of the hall, Gratz and Ronana were flirting shamelessly. They’ve become quite close. Is it really okay for two of the Four Heavenly Kings to be lounging around here?
"It’s fine," Beezel assured me. "We finished a major task before coming here."
"A major task?"
"Yes. The Demon Kingdom isn't a monolith; it’s comprised of various factions. One of those factions suddenly had a radical change of heart."
"A change of heart?"
"It was as if a curse had been lifted. They started blabbing about every crime they’d ever committed. It was a faction we hadn't been watching closely, so it caused quite an uproar. Plots to assassinate the Demon King, replace the Four Heavenly Kings, sequester the Royal Princess to use as a figurehead, and launch an invasion of the Fullhart Kingdom... the plan was grand, but fortunately, it was still in the preparation stages. We gathered the intel, rounded up everyone involved, and well... this chance to relax during the winter is our reward."
"I see..."
The timing seemed to coincide with when I was out with the Hot Spring Investigation Team. It seems major events were unfolding elsewhere while I was away.
"What about Gratz?"
"It seems the conspiracy had roots within the military as well. He officially 'retired' to take responsibility. He told the brass that if retirement wasn't an option, he’d be taking a long period of house arrest, and then he bolted here."
"Is that allowed?"
"No one starts major wars during the winter anyway."
I suppose that makes sense. Beezel, Galf, and I toasted to something or other and shared a drink.
The hall grew noisier as Rusty finally returned.
"I assume this... isn't a welcome-back party for me?" she asked.
"It’s been a while. Are you doing okay?"
"Yes."
Bulga and Stifano were trailing behind her.
"How was your trip home?" I asked the three of them. Their expressions immediately soured.
"It was a nightmare," Rusty sighed.
First, there was the situation with the dragons. While Dos is the head of the Dragon race, there are those who don't follow him, most notably the clan led by the Dark Dragon Giral. However, that clan had suddenly come to offer their apologies, which had left Dos baffled.
"Sorry about everything. Let’s be friends." "Sure, sounds good."
It would have been nice if it were that simple, but once you reach a certain age and status, social standing and pride make things complicated. Dos had initially thought Giral was launching an invasion and had even called Raimeiren for reinforcements.
After a long series of negotiations, they finally reconciled. Giral sent someone to stay with Dos as a sort of "dragon-hostage" to seal the deal. That should have been the end of it, but then the conversation turned to me.
"I heard your prize daughter married a human? What’s he like? Is he something special?"
They had reconciled, but Dos was still being cautious and didn't want to bring Giral to the village yet. Instead, he had summoned Hakuren and Rusty to tell Giral stories about me. If things went south, he also figured they’d be extra muscle.
"Giral is supposed to be Grandfather's eternal rival, a legendary Dark Dragon. But when I actually met him, he was just a chatty, drunk old man," Rusty grumbled.
Apparently, she had been forced to entertain him for days on end. Incidentally, the sake he was drinking was from the Village of the Great Tree, and he’d sent a message asking if we could open a trade route. I was just glad he enjoyed the sake.
"Wait, isn't the Dark Dragon Giral a figure from the myths?" one of the beastman girls asked.
"Lu-san's grandfather said the same thing earlier. That he bit the Creator God's leg."
"The name Giral is passed down through the generations, so he’s not the one from the myths," Rusty explained. "Apparently, he’s the seventh Giral."
The beastman girls were impressed nonetheless. Being a direct descendant of a mythological figure is quite a pedigree. At any rate, Rusty joined the feast.
Bulga and Stifano looked just as exhausted as Rusty.
"Everything was in chaos when we got home," Bulga said.
Apparently, an influential faction in their home village had suddenly started rioting. They had arrived right in the middle of it and spent their visit helping to suppress it.
"When we asked why they were doing it, they claimed they could no longer hear the voice of god. It made no sense at all."
Their homecoming had been spent cleaning up the mess rather than resting.
"It was exhausting."
To make matters worse, the souvenirs they had brought back were so popular that they had caused further arguments. I’m happy the products are popular, but I’d rather they didn't cause fights. They asked if I could send more later, which I didn't mind, though the transport would be the tricky part.
I told Bulga and Stifano to take it easy today and welcomed them to the banquet. Despite the various troubles everyone had faced, it was good to have all the familiar faces back together.
"I wish Kierbit could have stayed a bit longer too..."
Kierbit had returned to the Garlet Kingdom after the Hot Spring Investigation Team disbanded. She had seemed quite overwhelmed when Progenitor-san offered to see her off.
Speaking of Progenitor-san, he walked over to me.
"I am truly sorry for the trouble this time."
"Don't worry about it. I felt that bad aura myself. It was better to deal with it sooner rather than later."
I meant that sincerely.
"Indeed. By the way... I’ve been wondering, what is that sitting on your lap?"
"It's a cat."
"I can see it’s a cat, but did we always have one?"
We hadn't. I had only met the cat moments before the banquet began.
I had found the pitch-black cat sitting in front of the shrine by the Great Tree. It had looked startled at first, as if it didn't understand how it had ended up there. But as it watched me, it seemed to slowly process the situation. Finally, with a look of profound, philosophical resignation, it simply rolled over onto its back.
Do what you will.
That was the vibe it was giving off with its entire body. So, I invited it into the village. Cats are a farmer's best friend since they catch mice. Though, I doubted this cat would be much of a match for an Earth Rat.
Hahaha.
I suppose I just liked that look of total resignation on its face. Maybe I felt a sense of kinship.
Just as I was thinking we’d get along well, the cat hopped off my lap and disappeared under the table. Fickleness is part of a cat's charm, I suppose. Progenitor-san wandered off as well.
Hahaha.
Now then...
I felt four distinct presences closing in on me. Lu, Flora, Tia, and Granmaria. No, it wasn't just the four of them. Behind them were Frau, Ann, Ria, and the others. Even Hakuren and Rusty were there.
I’m practically developing a sixth sense for these things.
From beneath the table, the cat poked its head out and looked at me. It still had that look of profound resignation.
I suspect I was wearing the exact same expression.