Once the fireworks finished, the weather in the God Realm reverted to a clear blue sky, signaling that all the events of the White God Festival had come to a close. Well, technically, there was still a closing ceremony—or maybe an "End Ceremony"—left to attend, so I prepared to regroup with the others to watch it.
I had spent a total of about two hours in the Sanctuary, and it was now 8:00 PM. The perpetually blue sky made it hard to keep track of the time, but considering the trip back home, it was probably the perfect hour to wrap things up.
Apparently, the stalls and shops would remain open for the rest of the day even after the ceremony concluded. However, I had a feeling the shops in the Middle Level would be swamped with people trying to buy last-minute souvenirs. Conversely, the Lower Level—which focused more on regular stalls rather than God Realm specialties—would likely be a bit emptier. I figured it might be nice to pick up a light snack on the way back.
Thinking about such things, I rejoined everyone at the plaza in the Middle Level. Thanks to the detection magic on Kuro's necklace, I didn't have to wander and was able to find them almost immediately.
Chronoa-san was currently addressing the crowd as the representative of the Supreme Gods. Following her, the Six Kings and the monarchs of the Human Realm were each scheduled to offer a few words before the festival officially concluded.
Despite how much had happened, it felt as though the entire event had passed in the blink of an eye. I suppose that was just proof of how much fun I’d had. Aside from the years when the Hero Festival took priority, the White God Festival was intended to be an annual event, and I was already looking forward to participating again.
"By the way, Luna-san," I said.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Is it just me, or does Lilia-san look exhausted?"
"Ah, she was approached by a fair number of Gods. You see, since Milady holds the Main Blessing of the Supreme God, many of them felt obligated to offer her a formal greeting. Given her personality, she was quite overwhelmed by the attention and eventually reached her limit. I believe she is simply socially drained."
"I see..."
Come to think of it, Lilia-san was an incredibly impressive person and quite famous in her own right, so it wasn't surprising that the Gods would want to speak with her. However, that raised a question.
"Judging by her state, quite a few must have mobbed her... but why so suddenly?"
"Sky-sama mentioned it briefly when we encountered the Earth God, but apparently, an order had been sent down by the Supreme Gods to refrain from approaching Miyama-sama so as not to impose on your time. However... that command specified you. Milady was technically outside the scope of that protection."
"That’s, how should I put it..."
"This is just a guess on my part, but your presence was likely so massive that even the Supreme Gods simply forgot about Milady. The Goddess of Time finally arrived and settled the situation once a considerable number of Gods had finished their greetings, so..."
I see. The impact of me receiving Shiro-san's Blessing was so strong that they had taken meticulous care to protect my privacy, but they’d accidentally overlooked Lilia-san. Chronoa-san must have realized the oversight halfway through and rushed out to intervene.
"So... in a way, is this my fault too?"
"That's a difficult call, but there’s no doubt you were acting as a sort of lightning rod until now. Still, you shouldn't let it bother you. Milady is a noble, and building connections is part of her profession. If the God Realm is going to interact more with the Human and Demon Realms, this was bound to happen sooner or later."
I felt bad for causing Lilia-san trouble yet again, but Luna-san spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, making it easier for me to accept.
"To begin with, she’s merely weary from the sheer number of High-ranking Gods she had to face; in the long run, this brings nothing but benefits to Milady. She has established deep ties with the God Realm, after all. Granted, she’ll probably need her stomach medicine once she realizes how much her already too-strong political influence has inflated, but that’s a story as old as time itself. There’s really no need for you to worry."
"You're surprisingly kind at times like this, Luna-san."
"How curious. That was meant to be a compliment, yet I feel slightly insulted."
Luna-san was incredibly perceptive when it came to others' emotions, and she often provided support like this. This time, as well, she followed up with a casual tone to ensure I wouldn't carry any unnecessary guilt. In that regard, she actually reminded me a bit of Alice.
"Come to think of it, Yuzuki-sama received a Blessing of Sky-sama," Luna added.
"Oh, really? Hina-chan certainly did seem to adore Sky-san."
"Between Kusunoki-sama receiving the Blessing of the Earth God and Yuzuki-sama receiving a Blessing of Sky... things have reached quite the extraordinary level. I must admit, receiving a Blessing of a High-ranking God is enough to make even me a little envious."
"Should I ask around and see if I can get one for you?"
"I have no desire to become a regular consumer of stomach medicine, so I shall pass."
It was a blunt response, but given Lilia-san's precedent, it was hard to argue back.
Serious-senpai: "Wait! Does this mean the Lover Shiro Arc is finally over!?"
???: "You made a remarkably casual recovery. Anyway, what are you talking about? The Shallow Vernal Arc hasn't even properly begun yet."
Serious-senpai: "What? But... the date..."
???: "We're going in order. After the Alice-chan Arc comes the Fate-san Arc, remember?"
Serious-senpai: "Wait, didn't that already happen...?"
???: "That wasn't an official, individually-titled arc, was it?"
Serious-senpai: "...Ah. I see."