Even after welcoming Lilia and showing her to a guest room, Chris remained busy with the constant rush of preparations. Finally, the most critical moment of the event arrived: it was time to welcome the Three Supreme Gods.
She had a reasonable degree of familiarity with the Six Kings. Magnawell maintained close ties with the Arclesia Empire, and she had met Lilliwood before. Since Lilliwood was renowned for her integrity even among the Six Kings, her presence was one that Chris could rely on.
The Supreme Gods, however, were almost complete strangers. While the God of Life, Life, oversaw the Arclesia Empire, she rarely descended to the Human Realm, making direct conversation impossible. Usually, subordinates like the God of Fertility represented the divine at such ceremonies.
Chris had not spoken much with the God of Fate, Fate, either. Their only interaction had been a brief exchange years ago when the land received a Divine Protection.
Compared to the others, she had slightly more experience with the God of Space-Time, Chronoa. As the primary representative for the Gods, Chronoa often negotiated with the Three Kings and the Six Kings during events like the Hero Festival. Still, "more" was a relative term; Chris did not know her well enough to truly understand her personality.
Determined to avoid any social blunders, Chris prepared the finest hospitality possible, despite not knowing exactly what would please them.
"We are honored by your presence. Welcome to our empire."
"Indeed. Emperor of Arclesia, we thank you for your hospitality. Normally, Life should handle the introductions since this is her jurisdiction, but I usually act as the spokesperson when the three of us travel together. I trust you have no objections to me serving as the representative."
"Of course not. We have prepared private chambers for you. Once we have confirmed today's schedule, you are free to spend your time as you wish until the ceremony begins."
"Understood. Lead the way."
Despite her nerves, Chris managed to maintain her professional composure as Chronoa responded with a smile. Although her tone was regal, Chronoa was arguably the most approachable of the Supreme Gods, and she followed Chris’s lead without complaint.
Once they arrived at the chambers, they went over the details of the Commemorative Ceremony.
While the Founding Anniversary Festival had been underway since dawn, the official ceremony was not until noon, leaving them with plenty of time. Chronoa checked the schedule, nodded in approval, and then turned to Life.
"I have no issues with the timing. What about you, Life?"
"It is fine. We have no specific duties other than showing our faces, and the start time is a long way off. I think I will meditate for a while."
"...You're just going to nap, aren't you?"
Knowing that "meditation" was just code for a nap to kill time, Chronoa let out an exasperated sigh. Still, a sleeping Goddess would not cause any diplomatic incidents, so she moved on to Fate.
"And as for the God of Fate—huh?"
"...Eh?"
Chronoa’s mouth fell open, and Chris stared in wide-eyed shock. Fate had vanished. In the spot where the Goddess had been standing just a moment ago, there was now a large, upright cushion with a note pinned to it.
'I'm going to check out Kai-chan's Stall! I'll come back later if I remember.'
She had bolted instantly. Shallow Vernal had given the Supreme Gods permission to attend, but she had not made it a command. Chronoa had been surprised when the normally lazy Fate agreed so readily, but she had optimistically interpreted it as Fate finally taking her divine responsibilities seriously.
In reality, Fate had not developed a sudden work ethic; she simply wanted an excuse to visit Kaito's stall. The ceremony was an afterthought, and the stall was her top priority. Fate claimed she would return "if she remembered," but Chronoa knew her colleague well enough to know she would absolutely forget.
"M-My stomach..." Chris clutched her midsection, reeling from the realization that one of the Three Supreme Gods was already roaming the city incognito.
Chronoa pressed a hand to her forehead to ward off a budding headache. After a moment of silence, she looked at the Emperor. "I apologize, Emperor. I should have seen this coming. I'll go retrieve that idiot myself, so please, try to relax."
"Y-Yes... Thank you. Please do."
"You truly do have a difficult lot in life... Very well, the schedule is fine. Just tell me where Miyama's stall is."
With a final, weary sigh, Chronoa rose from her chair and set out to hunt down the runaway Goddess.
Serious-senpai: "Unbelievable. What's truly terrifying is that Kaito hasn't even done anything, yet he’s landing heavy blows on people’s stomachs just by existing. A True Master of Stomach Blows doesn't even need to take action to inflict damage..."
???: "We should have known the second Fate-san agreed to come so easily. She might have grown as a person, but she’s still as lazy as ever. If she's willing to attend a tedious ceremony, there’s always an ulterior motive."