After picking up some snacks, Alice and I wandered through the festival grounds, eating as we walked. We had bought some small, skewered fish—they reminded me of sweetfish—and the saltiness was perfect. The only problem was their size; even one was enough to leave me feeling pretty full. Alice, however, was scarfing them down one after another, as if she were eating yakitori at a tavern.
"By the way, Alice. Back near the entrance to the capital, I heard someone talking about same-day tickets or some such thing. What was that about?"
"Ah, those were viewing tickets for the Sea Dragon Procession starting this afternoon. Since it's such a popular event, they usually sell out way in advance, but if there are cancellations, they'll sell them at the entrance on the day of the festival like that."
"A Sea Dragon Procession?"
"To put it simply, it's something like a mikoshi float or a lion dance. A large group carries a massive model of a dragon through the streets. The Hydra Kingdom was originally a collection of smaller countries that merged into a single nation. Apparently, one of those original regions had a festival praising a sea dragon, so they started holding the Sea Dragon Procession on the day of the Founding Anniversary Festival as well."
"I see. But why a sea dragon?"
Come to think of it, I remembered reading in a book that the Hydra Kingdom was established when several small nations, devastated by the Demon King's invasion, joined forces to form an allied army.
Even after the First Hero defeated the Demon King, the damage was too extensive for them to function as separate small nations again. After several discussions, they decided to unite under Laguna-san as their King, which led to the creation of the Hydra Kingdom.
According to Laguna-san's own disgruntled grumbling, she had only been crowned because her fame as a member of the Hero Party gave her the charisma and rallying power needed during such a chaotic era. The plan was for her to step down once the country stabilized...
But unfortunately for her, she proved to be an exceptionally gifted King. She had remained on the throne to this day, backed by the overwhelming support of her people.
"This is also an old story, but in one of those coastal nations, it was believed that a giant dragon ruled the ocean. They thought that if you offended it, a storm would break out. They started holding festivals to appease this sea dragon, praying for good fishing weather and safety at sea."
"A giant dragon that rules the sea... That sounds a lot like Eingana-san."
"In fact, the legend is probably rooted in her. Teleportation Gates weren't common back then, but there were still ways to travel between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm. On the very rare occasion that humans wandered into the Demon Realm or demons ended up in the Human Realm due to space-time distortions, the Phantasm King Faction would protect them and send them back. They probably caught sight of Eingana-san during one of those incidents and concluded there was a dragon god in the ocean. Dragons that size just don't exist in the Human Realm, after all."
"Ah, I see. Eingana-san's size certainly does leave an impression..."
Since she was a massive Sea Dragon roughly a kilometer long, seeing her emerge from the water would be quite a spectacle. If anyone saw that, it was no wonder they would believe a god lived in the sea.
As I was nodding in agreement, Alice spoke with a wry smile.
"Because the sea dragon became so famous here in the Hydra Kingdom, the actual god of the sea—the Great Sea God—has a very thin presence by comparison. Though she’s always been the type to fade into the background anyway..."
"The Great Sea God? Come to think of it, I've met Sky-san, the God of the Sky, and Gaia-san, the Earth God, but I haven't met the Sea God."
I had always pictured the land, sea, and sky as a set of three, so looking back, it felt a little surprising. Granted, I'd only met Gaia-san by complete chance, so it wasn't necessarily strange that I hadn't met the Great Sea God yet.
"For example, the Supreme Gods each have two high-ranking gods serving as their direct aides. Sky-san and Gaia-san serve as aides for Life-san, the God of Life. In contrast, the Great Sea God—Marine-san is her name—is actually third in line among Life-san's direct subordinates. Since she's ranked below the other two, she doesn't quite make the cut as an 'aide.' Plus, she lacks any particularly sharp personality traits, so she doesn't stand out much. She’s just a very steady, sensible professional."
Alice's description immediately made me think of Camellia-san. While Camellia-san was a Super Maid and the strongest of the World King's subordinates, she shared that same quality of being easy to overlook.
The Great Sea God, Marine-san, huh? I was curious about her; I’d like to meet her for myself someday.
Machina: "The Great Sea God Marine is apparently the competent but inconspicuous type. Well, as an omniscient being, I know everything about her, but since she isn't My Child, I have no interest in her."
Serious-senpai: "A talented type who handles her work steadily despite a lack of distinct personality... I feel like we have something in common."
Machina: "...I'm pretty sure you're nothing but personality, Serious-senpai. Do you just not see yourself? Are you okay? Do you want to talk about My Child?"