Night had fallen.
A giant swan swam gracefully across the surface of the reservoir, illuminated by the festival lights. Before I knew it, a magnificent dance had begun.
To be honest, I didn't know much about dancing, but the performance possessed a power that made it impossible to look away. Even the way its wings scooped up the water seemed like a perfectly choreographed movement.
I was deeply impressed, but it turned out I had spoken too soon. A black swan joined in, and the performance by the two birds was even more incredible than the solo dance. I couldn't explain exactly what made it so special; it was simply spectacular. I watched them until I completely lost track of time.
It was hard to believe they could be so perfectly in sync when they had been fighting like cats and dogs in human form just a little while ago. If they were capable of this, I couldn't help but wonder why they bothered to argue so much.
When the dance concluded, the two birds drifted to the center of the reservoir and bowed slowly toward us. The watching residents responded with a thunderous round of applause.
Then, chunks of bread shaped like plump rugby balls were tossed into the water. This had been a specific request from the white swan; she had asked that if the dance was well-received, we should throw bread to them. Since the High Ogre maids had been baking those loaves since around noon, it seemed the success of the dance had been a foregone conclusion.
The giant white and black swans began pecking at the chunks of bread. I had given my permission in the heat of the moment, but I realized later that leftovers might foul the water, so I decided to stop this practice after tonight.
When I mentioned my concern, I was told the Pond Turtles would eat any bread that sank to the bottom. That was a relief.
"Ah—children! You're supposed to throw the bread near them, not hit them with it!"
"Urza, don't snap your wrist like that! It’s turning the bread into a literal bullet!"
I turned my attention to the giant peacocks.
"What about you? You were supposed to be up next. Can you really follow a performance like that?"
The peacocks went silent for a moment. They eventually signaled their intent.
"I see. Let's save your turn for another day."
It was fine. The Demon King would handle the rest of the night's entertainment. Apparently, he had prepared several acts because he felt he hadn't stood out enough during the main parade.
The next morning.
I thought the Demon King had tried his best. Therefore, I decided not to speak of it. Forgetting the details quickly was the kindest thing I could do for him.
I patrolled the mansion and ate breakfast before heading out to check on the fields. It was just another ordinary morning. Over at the reservoir, the giant white and black swans were asleep. I suppose they were exhausted after being the stars of the show. Their sleeping postures were identical, which made them look quite close, but they really were massive. I wondered if they couldn't shrink down to the size of normal swans.
When I returned from my patrol, I found normal-sized peacocks perched on the roof of the mansion. It seemed they could change their size after all. If possible, I hoped they would stay that way from now on.
That roof was one of Aegis’s favorite spots. When I looked for him, I found him nestled comfortably right between the peacocks. It appeared his bird-shyness had been mostly cured.
I won't say it was related to that, but the Eagle was sulking in my room. I didn't mind him moping, but I did wonder why he chose my private quarters. Well, I didn't use the room during the day, so it wasn't a problem.
As for the Demon King, he was sleeping off his frustration in the guest room. I told him he should use an empty room if he wanted to nap, but he insisted the cats wouldn't come to visit him unless he was in the guest room. That was a fair point. I told him to sleep as long as he liked.
At lunch, the giant white and black swans arrived in human form. The white swan was soaking wet. When I asked why, it turned out she had been flirting with Galf and had been subjected to a release German Suplex by his wife, which sent her flying into the reservoir. Apparently, she had skipped across the water three times before sinking.
I almost said I wished I’d seen it, but I caught myself. I told her to go take a bath and to learn some self-restraint.
I truly wondered if she was a Divine Messenger. After I had finished lecturing them the previous day, the white swan had insisted she was one. She had no proof, only her word, but the black swan had grudgingly confirmed it, so I decided to believe them. Even though I said I believed her, she had insisted on proving it by performing a dance approved by the gods, which led to last night's events. Though, in hindsight, she probably just wanted to show off.
The giant peacocks had followed her lead. Apparently, the peacocks were Spiritual Beasts. I wasn't entirely sure of the difference, but I assumed they were something like Sacred Beasts. When I asked, I was told that while Sacred Beasts were animals that had approached the Divine Realm, Spiritual Beasts were entirely different—beings created directly by the hand of a god.
That made sense. Curious, I looked toward the giant crow to see if it was also a Divine Messenger or a Spiritual Beast. It turned out he was the Avatar of the God of the Sun. That was a remarkably bold title, yet for some reason, I didn't feel like doubting it. It just felt right.
However, if he was truly the Avatar of the God of the Sun, what did that make Zabuton, who had captured him, or the Eagle, who had scolded him? Was it really alright for an avatar of a supreme deity to be tied up or lectured? I was told that there are many different types of avatars. I suppose that explained it.
The crow hadn't joined the others in their dance, choosing instead to enjoy the sake offered by the dwarves. Perhaps because of that, he was still fast asleep even though it was past noon. I didn't mind.
In the afternoon, Urza, Alfred, and Tiselle prepared to return to the academy. It was going to be lonely again. Urza seemed particularly reluctant to leave her new younger siblings, Hikaru and Himiko, but she didn't suggest staying behind. With the short-distance teleportation gate, they could visit whenever they wanted, so I tried not to worry too much; overprotectiveness often annoyed the children.
Since we had held a farewell party the previous night, we were only there to see them off.
Just then, the giant crow arrived. He was still drunk and staggering on his feet, but he pointed toward the west to show Urza and the others the way.
West.
The Royal Capital of the Demon Kingdom was indeed to the west, but they were using the teleportation gate, so they actually needed to go south to the Great Tree Dungeon.
I felt a bit bad for him. The children politely walked a short distance to the west to satisfy the bird before turning back toward the dungeon.
I was sorry to have made them be so considerate of a drunken avatar.