Deep within the royal castle of the Hydra Kingdom lay a chamber reserved for the most vital affairs of state. This room, centered around a massive round table, served as the meeting place for the Assembly, the body responsible for the vast majority of the nation’s administration.
The Hydra Kingdom operated under a parliamentary system. Seated around the table were seventeen representatives chosen by the citizens: eight nobles and eight merchants or commoners, with the King presiding over them. These elections were held at the intervals of the Hero Festival, meaning the men and women currently in the room had served as assemblymen for at least nine years.
Even these seasoned politicians were gripped by a visible, suffocating tension today. The reason was obvious. Seated beside the King was someone who should not have been there—someone who rarely even graced the Human Realm with her presence: the Supreme God Fate.
"……Well then, shall we begin?" Fate asked.
"Yes, of course," the King replied.
"If it’s all the same to you, I would appreciate it if we handled the matters involving the God Realm first."
"Understood. We shall begin with the schedule of regional events planned from the Month of Light onward……"
With Shia and Heart standing at attention behind her, Fate participated in the Assembly with a gaze so chilling it could freeze a man’s spine. Her voice was flat, a monotone entirely devoid of emotion.
While the King of Hydra wiped beads of sweat from his brow under that crushing pressure, he voiced the first item on the agenda. His subordinates immediately began distributing documents to Fate and the assemblymen.
The initial topic concerned the various festivals to be held throughout the Hydra Kingdom between the Month of Light and the upcoming Hero Festival. In a Hero Festival year, celebrations erupted across the entire world; in Hydra alone, the sheer number of events was staggering when one accounted for every small village festival.
Naturally, the organizers of these events wanted to invite the Gods. Having a divine being attend granted a festival immense prestige, so nearly every organizer submitted a request on the slim chance they might be chosen. Normally, these requests were filtered through low-ranking Gods stationed in the region, checked by high-ranking Gods, and finally decided upon by Fate in her capacity as the Supreme Goddess of Fate.
However, since Fate was present in person, the responses were being delivered immediately.
While the assemblymen watched with bated breath, Fate slowly reached for the stack of documents before her. She lifted the pile—which must have contained at least a hundred pages—with a single hand, then simply let go. The papers fell, yet they did not scatter; they landed back on the table in a perfectly neat, singular stack.
"……I grant permission for numbers 4, 9, 13, 25, 41, 52 through 56, 76, and 92. Calamity God, assign the representatives for these regions."
"Yes, My Lady……" Shia responded.
"As for the rest, I see no reason for the Gods to attend. If you are desperate to have us, revise your proposals and resubmit them. However," Fate added, her voice sharpening, "regarding numbers 66 and 80, the outlines are utterly unrealistic. Start those over from scratch."
"……Y-Yes! Certainly! Thank you very much. We shall see to it at once," the King stammered.
Fate had appraised every single document in a matter of seconds. More impressively, she had already pulled the approved pages and handed them to Shia, the high-ranking God serving as her assistant. Each of those pages already bore Fate’s signature; they were fully processed legal documents.
"……Next. Show me the list of Hydra citizens who received blessings this year from Gods other than the local low-ranking residents."
"Y-Yes, right away!"
"……Calamity God, let me see the report filed with the God Realm."
"Here it is, My Lady."
Acting as though she had no intention of wasting a single second, Fate immediately moved to the next item: cross-referencing the Kingdom’s supplementary Blessing Reports with the divine records.
"……You’ve missed three cases. Two received blessings in the Kingdom of Sinfonia, and one in the Arclesia Empire."
"I—! Our deepest apologies, My Lady!"
"It doesn't matter. I’ve marked the entries. Confirm the details and have the corrections made by tomorrow…… You can manage that, I assume?"
"Y-Yes! Most definitely!!"
The assemblymen and the King sat in stunned silence, utterly overwhelmed as Fate cleared through the workload at a terrifying speed. Her presence was a vivid reminder of just how far beyond human limits a Supreme God truly was.
"……Now then, moving on to the Hero Festival. We need to discuss the rotation for the Gods staying in the Hydra Kingdom. Do you have a draft?"
"Munch, munch…… Phew! That was delicious!"
"I-I’m glad to hear it."
What lay before me now were the remnants of Alice’s feast: a mountain of skewers and a literal tower of wooden plates. She really had eaten every last bit of it.
It didn’t make sense. The volume of food she’d consumed was clearly greater than her own body mass... but then again, this was Alice. I suppose physics didn't apply to her.
"Well, anyway, now that we're settled…… Is it okay if we set our date for right after we get back to the Kingdom of Sinfonia?"
"It’s a deal! Man, Alice is one satisfied girl after eating like that for the first time in a while."
"I see…… Oh, hang on, Alice."
"……Eh?"
As I watched Alice grin with satisfaction, I noticed a bit of sauce or something near the corner of her mouth. I couldn't help but let out a wry smile. I guess if you eat that ravenously, you're bound to make a mess. She was as much of a handful as ever.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a handkerchief and moved to wipe her face.
"Fweh?! Mguu?!"
"Come on, stay still."
"Nyah?! K-K-K-Kaito-san?!"
"I told you, don't move……"
"I-I can wipe it myself! I can do it myself, aaaaahhh!"
Alice flailed her arms in a rare display of genuine panic as I cleaned her mouth. When I finally let go, yielding to her resistance, she stared at me with a face flushed a brilliant crimson.
"……T-T-T-Then, I shall g-g-go back to my guard duties!!"
"Ah, hey!"
She vanished in the blink of an eye. I called out to her, but there was no response.
Wait…… was she actually blushing? I think that might be the first time I’d ever seen her act like that since the day she took off her mask. It was an unexpected, almost cute side to her that left me smiling to myself as I turned to head toward my inn.
Leaving the boisterous stall district behind, the scenery gradually shifted into a more refined shopping district. This area seemed to specialize in clothing; shop windows lined the street, displaying elegant dresses and high-end formal wear. I remembered Alice mentioning that the Hydra Kingdom had a very developed fashion culture, so this was likely where all the best shops were clustered.
I took my time, peeking into a few displays as I made my way leisurely toward my destination, when suddenly—
"……Huh? Could it be…… Miyama-san?"
"……Eh?"
I turned at the sound of my name and saw a young man with black hair standing a short distance away, waving at me. He was wearing glasses and a refreshing smile, with handsome features that seemed to strike a perfect balance between boyish charm and maturity. He looked familiar…… and yet, something felt off.
"……Hello there! What a coincidence to run into you here. Do you remember me?"
"……U-Uh……"
The young man jogged up to me, that bright smile never wavering, and gave a polite bow.
If he was asking if I recognized him…… I did. Sort of. But I couldn't quite reconcile the person in front of me with the person in my memory. There were traces of him, certainly, but the aura was entirely different. It was like seeing a child who had suddenly grown into a man.
"……Are you…… Mitsunaga-kun?"
"Yes! It’s been a long time!"
"W-Whaaaaa?!"
It really was him! Mitsunaga-kun?! Had he always looked like this? No, he’d changed way too much!
I mean, the Mitsunaga-kun I remembered—to put it bluntly—was more of a quiet, bookish type with a bit of a slouch. He’d seemed like a reserved kid. But the person standing before me was a total normie, a refreshing, athletic heartthrob.
This wasn't just a "growth spurt" or "looking different after a few days." This was a complete transformation! Was this really Mitsunaga? This radiant, handsome guy? Seriously?!
……Just what on earth had happened to him in the last five months?
Dear Mother, Father—In the Hydra Kingdom, I happened to reunite with Mitsunaga-kun, the other person who was summoned to this world with me. I’d been worried about him, so I’m glad for the coincidence, but…… the Mitsunaga-kun I found was far, far more handsome than the one I remembered.