And in the first place, humans being grateful for divine protections and blessings is just something they decided on their own. The gods themselves don’t really see their divine protections as that big of a deal.
“You talk as if you’re very familiar with them.” [Yui]
“I talk to them every time I go to church.” [Ryouma]
“…You probably shouldn’t say that to a normal person or someone from the clergy. The Oracle skill is something that the clergy are able to acquire only after a long period of training, and even then, the most they can hope for are a few short words. And even that isn’t guaranteed. If you go around telling people you can talk to the gods, then depending on whether or not they believe you, they will either be annoyed or be very envious.” [Yui]
“This isn’t something I would tell another person normally. So it would really make me happy if you could keep this a secret.” [Ryouma]
To be more specific, I don’t just talk to them, I actually meet with them face to face and even share drinks with them.
…Speaking of drinking, this self-proclaimed Love Master[1] fairy has been eating and drinking all this time, and while we were talking, she emptied another two large plates. It appears that she’s quite the glutton.
“…Oh, did you want some?” [Yui]
“No. I was just thinking that you eat a lot. Oh, I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just that fairies don’t really have a reputation for being gluttons.” [Ryouma]
“Well, normal fairies are small, after all.” [Yui]
“Now that you mention it, you do look just like a normal person. Is that a transformation of some sort?” [Ryouma]
“Earthlings sure are sharp. Not that I know any other than you and Shiho. Actually, I really am much smaller than I appear, but this form makes it much easier to blend in with humans. There’s a tinge of malaise in using this form, but I can cover that up with my power. Unfortunately, keeping this up is rather taxing on my mana.” [Yui]
“I see. By the way, what kind of food do fairies like to eat?” [Ryouma]
“I’ve lived here for a long time, so I mostly just eat cooked food nowadays, but when living in the woods, there’s only so much food one can get, so most fairies pick fruits or berries or easily distinguishable nectar or honey. From time to time, there are fairies that like strange things, but in that regard, they’re not really all that different from humans.
In the first place, fairies are creatures that can live without eating so long as the environment is full of mana; hence, you could say that other than mana, everything else is a luxury to our kind. And of course, we can also derive energy from the food we eat.” [Yui]
“So that’s how you fairies see things.” [Ryouma]
“Yes… By the way, did you complete the gift we talked about yesterday?” [Yui]
“I did. It took a bit of effort, but thanks to you, I was able to complete something I could be satisfied with.” [Ryouma]
“That’s good to hear. After all, there wouldn’t be much of a point in me giving you an idea if you couldn’t realize it.” [Yui]
While we were talking…
“Ryouma-kun?” [Reinhart]
“I wonder where he ran off to…” [Elize]
I heard Reinhart-san and the madam’s voice coming from behind.
I turned around and saw that they were looking around at the crowds of people.
It seems they’re looking for me.
“Yui-san. I have to go now since they seem to be looking for me.” [Ryouma]
“If you’re with those two, then you probably won’t have to fear getting caught by other people either.” [Yui]
“Thank you very much.” [Ryouma]
“I look forward to seeing the moment when the bride and groom receive your present. I’m sure they’ll be elated.” [Yui]
Like that I parted with Yui and rendezvoused with the duke and his wife. Apparently, they haven’t given their presents yet either, so I decided to take out my gift from my Item Box and join the line with them.
The servants that had lined up ahead of us all implored us to go on ahead, so we barely had to wait in line before giving our respective presents. When we got to where the bride and the groom were, Butts-san was in the middle of giving a cake placed on top of a small plate and a box to Rurunez-san.
“Oh, this sure takes me back.” [Rurunez]
“it’s the Lamon Cake I made when I was still an apprentice. You told me it was delicious back then and ate it.” [Butts]
“I loved that cake. But I’m sure this cake is even more delicious now.” [Rurunez]
“Of course it is! It would be a huge problem for me if the cake I made when I was still an apprentice is on the same level as the cake I make now that I’m the head chef. That cake might have been fine then, but as a cook, I’m always thinking of a way to improve my cooking.” [Butts]
“That’s so like you, Butts-san. Yes, I love this cake too. Especially, this spongy feeling.” [Rurunez]
“Oh, that spongy feeling is thanks to the advice I got from Ryouma-kun the other day. He taught me a new method and a new ingredient, so I tried out various things, and came up with that in the end.” [Butts]
[1] – Changed Marriage Tie to Love Master. Wasn’t really happy with that Marriage Tie title.