I was one of the Angels who had recently arrived at the Village of the Great Tree. I had come to Shashato City to participate in the parade, but before I knew it, a contest had broken out between the Dragons and Magistrate Ifuls.
...Wait, what was even happening?
At the parade’s standby area, Malbit, the Leader of the Angel Race, called us together. She pointed toward the spectacle between the Dragons and the Magistrate, her expression chilling as she spoke.
"Raise your hand if you’re the one who nudged them into doing that."
I didn’t raise mine. I hadn't done any such thing. I glanced around, but no one else raised their hand either. Thank goodness.
"I see," Malbit continued. "In that case, raise your hand if you didn't expect this specific result, but did something to nudge them along regardless."
...I was fine. Yes, I was definitely fine. I hadn't said anything strange. Besides, I would never dream of something as reckless as trying to manipulate the Age of Gods Dragon Race. That would be like diving naked into a pool of magma. I hadn't instigated anything, so I kept my hand down.
As I looked around, I saw that several of my kin had their hands raised. They were promptly apprehended. What fools.
I expected her to dispose of them on the spot, but it seemed Malbit intended to hear their excuses first.
"Lord Dos and the others got a bit too carried away in Village Five and ended up being scolded by the Civil Official Girls, right?" one started.
"So, a regretful Lord Dos and his companions came to us for advice. They said they wanted to be friendly while in Shashato City," said another.
"We told them that if they matched the local culture, they would seem more approachable... and then it turned into that."
I see. That didn't quite sound like they were "manipulating" them. I assumed they would get off with a warning. Or so I hoped, but Malbit was not a lenient leader.
"Lord Dos and his kin belong to the Age of Gods Dragon Race! No matter what you told them, there’s no way it would have turned into a mess like this! You’re leaving out a crucial piece of information. Out with it."
Buckling under Malbit’s intense pressure, the captured Angels finally confessed.
"L-Lord Hiichiro was listening when we said it..."
...Wait. Didn't that mean they had technically used Lord Hiichiro to manipulate the Age of Gods Dragon Race? In other words, this was the kind of stunt that would result in a terrifying scolding from Lord Dos or Lady Raimeiren later!
Would simply handing over the culprits settle the matter? Surely this wouldn't be treated as collective responsibility for the entire Angel Race, right? Wait, wait, wait. We were in the middle of a parade, but should I start running now?
Just as the thought crossed my mind, Malbit whispered—so softly it was barely a breath.
"If anyone runs, I’ll report that person as the sole mastermind."
Um, Lady Malbit? Did you say that under your breath because you wanted us to run? You're planning to pin the whole thing on whoever tries to flee, aren't you?
I abandoned any thought of escape and looked around. About half of our group had been poised to bolt, but it seemed Malbit’s warning had reached their ears as well. Everyone remained on standby as if nothing were wrong. Tsk.
An emergency meeting commenced. For now, we looked for a silver lining. On the bright side, the Dragons appeared to be having a wonderful time. Lord Hiichiro, in particular, was in high spirits; his turns during the dance were remarkably sharp.
On the not-so-bright side, Miyo—who worked here in Shashato City—was standing nearby with her head in her hands. It was understandable, given that Magistrate Ifuls had stepped out to face the Dragons. Miyo clearly hadn't anticipated this situation either. Then again, who could have?
Magistrate Ifuls was fighting a valiant battle. He hadn't yielded a single step to the Dragons. I didn't quite grasp the rules of the contest, but Domaim, Kuon, and Graffaloon had apparently been "defeated" by the Magistrate, as they were currently lying face down. Several people had also jumped in to dance alongside the Magistrate to support him. Judging by the cheers from the crowd, they were the Magistrate's subordinates and instructors from Ifuls Academy.
So, what should we do?
If we were to be optimistic, we could hope the Dragons didn't care about the Angel Race at all. Perhaps they would simply let it slide, assuming the Age of Gods Dragon Race could never be swayed by the likes of us. Maybe Lady Hakuren or Lady Rusty would intercede. And since Lord Hiichiro was happy, maybe the "all's well that ends well" rule would apply, and we’d get off without a reprimand. These were all possibilities.
If we were to be pessimistic, the Dragons would come to annihilate the Angel Race the moment the parade ended. That seemed far more likely. Thinking about it any further was only going to make me more terrified, so I stopped. W-well, considering how the Dragons lived in the Village of the Great Tree, there was a chance they might forgive us after a sufficiently "intense" retaliation. I chose to believe that.
Whew.
"I have a proposal," I whispered. "Why don't we leave the fate of the Angel Race to Lady Tia and Lady Tiselle and everyone else just run away?"
I thought it was a solid plan, but it was immediately rejected. Instead, I found myself being glared at by Lady Ruincia and Lady Reginleiv. How terrifying.
"In that case, would it be okay to rely on the Village Head? If it's the Village Head, he could surely—"
"Oof!"
I was struck by Lady Ruincia and Lady Reginleiv before I could finish. Apparently, troubling the Village Head was strictly forbidden. I stood corrected.
The meeting fell into total chaos. Ideas were proposed only to be shot down, followed by more ideas that met the same fate. Everyone was painfully aware that the discussion was going nowhere. Just as we were despairing over our lack of a plan, one of the Civil Official Girls ran up to us.
"Kuro and the others will be moving soon. Please prepare yourselves."
Prepare? Oh, right—the parade. We were standing by here specifically to perform in the Shashato City parade. It had completely slipped my mind. However... um, this was a bit difficult to bring up, but...
I pointed toward the struggle between the Dragons and Magistrate Ifuls and addressed the Civil Official Girl. "Is it really alright to just leave that as it is?"
"It’s fine," she replied. "The Village Head has already gone over there."
Wait, what?
"Even though they were warned in Village Five, they're getting carried away in Shashato City as well. We believe the Dragons are in need of a little punishment."
The Civil Official Girl answered with a smile, but her eyes remained cold, devoid of any warmth.
...Seeing that, we Angels silently fell into formation and prepared for our turn. We couldn't afford to obstruct the progress of the parade any further. In that moment, the hearts of every Angel present became as one. All that was left was to give the parade our absolute best.
Yes, we would worry about the messy details once everything was over. I was fairly certain we were all of one mind on that, too.