Chapter 169: The Restored Royal Capital and Peaceful Daily Life, Part Nine

Around the time the sun turned red and the surroundings grew dim I who had been relaxing in the courtyard went inside the house.

When I returned to the living room Cathy called out to me at just the right timing.

"Master, dinner is ready."

"Got it. Thanks."

I thanked Cathy and headed to the dining room.

Dinner was already laid out on the table.

After I sat in my chair, perhaps Cathy had gone around calling, the Dules entered the dining room one after another.

Then they sat in their decided seats.

When everyone was seated they all turned this way at once.

I cannot see them but the Dules sitting under the table are probably facing this way too.

"Then, itadakimasu."

"『『『『『『Itadakimasu.』』』』』』"

Everyone matched voices and did the pre-meal greeting.

Before there were apparently individual greetings but at some point it became like this.

And for some reason the Te-Dules who do not eat were also greeting together.

After that seeing me start eating everyone started eating.

Dinner that had been quiet at first gradually changed into something noisy.

As always it started from meal-related talk and from there became talk about Rosina.

"I would like Rosina-sama to teach me cooking again."

"That’s right~. Next how about simmered dishes~."

"Yes. There is also time for simmering."

Cathy had arranged a promise to have Rosina teach her cooking.

"May I ask too?"

"I want to be taught too."

Muriel and Sophia jumped on that.

"Of course, it’s fine~."

Rosina answered that with a smile.

"Come to think of it I saw Rosina treating people in the square."

I who had not been able to join the topic until then talked about seeing Rosina on the way back from the castle.

"Ara~. Why didn’t you call out to me~?"

Rosina protested with her lips pursed.

"I thought it would be bad to interrupt. There was a line too."

"Waiting a little is fine~. Right~, Sheena."

Rosina tossed the talk to Sheena sitting at the end of the table.

"A little should be fine I think. More than that, when it is Mother the number of patients increases even more so I think unnecessary chatting should be restrained. The priestess who took over after was about to cry."

Sheena put in a follow but then gave a criticism that cancelled it.

If you listen it is more like she is monitoring rather than assisting Rosina.

Come to think of it Rosina was chatting with the patients.

"Sheena-chan, that’s harsh~. I was only preaching to the patients as a priestess~."

Rosina puffed her cheeks.

"Preaching, what were you talking about?"

Sophia asked Rosina looking very interested.

Come to think of it elves were not supposed to be devout.

Is it intellectual curiosity?

"Let’s see~. World history~, stories of the gods~. And maybe stories of my travels~."

Rosina put her index finger to her lips, looked up, and answered while remembering.

The last one is... just chatting.

"What kind of thing is world history?"

I also asked out of curiosity.

"It’s the stories of the mythological age taught in the Anirofe order~. Similar to what is taught in other orders I suppose~."

Rosina spoke while tilting her head.

"Hiroyuki-kun is a person from the East~. Then it might be quite different."

"..."

In Rosina’s talk I felt some sense of discomfort.

What is it?

"What’s wrong~?"

When I was spacing out thinking Rosina called out looking worried.

I came to and looked around and the other Dules had also stopped eating and were looking at me worried.

"No, it’s nothing. More than that, teach me that mythological history."

I pulled myself together and said to Rosina.

"Alright~. Then from before this world was made~."

Rosina made a slightly puzzled face but immediately returned to her usual smile and began speaking far more politely than usual.

"Before this world was made there was a deep darkness with nothing. There the eight pillar progenitor gods descended. Supreme God Lubehion-sama, Sun God Poroa-sama, the twin moon goddesses Misterua and Heteka, Underworld Goddess Hasude, Spirit God Potyun...-sama, Dragon God Doran, and Earth God Gia-sama. These progenitor gods lived in peace for a long time under the guidance of Supreme God Lubehion-sama."

There Rosina paused the story and looked around at everyone.

Everyone had stopped eating and was listening intently, nodding uniformly.

Only Sophia was tilting her head with a difficult face but she did not interrupt.

Then...

"Wait, that’s wro, aita!"

"Be quiet!"

Yanica who had poked her face out from under the table to say something had her face kicked by Sophia at that instant.

Yanica held her face and returned under the table.

The treatment of Yanica is getting harsher and harsher I thought but since I left it to Sophia I said nothing.

Everyone’s eyes went to Sophia and Yanica but immediately returned to Rosina.

Rosina who saw everyone’s faces continued the story.

"However after Lubehion-sama passed away the progenitor gods began to quarrel. As a result they divided Earth God Gia-sama’s body and each of the gods created new worlds there. First Sun God Poroa-sama created a world on Gia-sama’s right arm, the moon goddesses Misterua and Heteka on the left arm, Underworld Goddess Hasude on the torso, and Spirit God Potyun...-sama created a world on Gia-sama’s head."

Divided the body, does that mean they cut it off?

Or did they create worlds as is?

Is Gia not too huge?

I don’t get it.

Well, it is myth so the truth is doubtful.

"It is a little different from what we were taught by the Elder."

When Rosina paused the story again Sophia spoke as if she could not endure it.

"Gia-sama is not the Earth God but the Creation God, and the one who made the earth is Gia-sama’s head. Gia-sama has eight heads and I heard each of the gods created worlds on them."

Hearing Sophia’s talk the Dules grew noisy.

"Is it not six worlds?"

Cathy asked Sophia.

"Now it is six. But when the worlds were created it was apparently eight. And the creation gods, what humans call the progenitor gods, I heard are not eight pillars but thirteen pillars."

The Dules grew noisy again.

The myth transmitted to humans and the myth transmitted to elves are the same in outline but different in details apparently.

"Anyway, in each world the respective gods created further gods from Gia-sama’s body."

Rosina continued the story looking quite irritated, rare for her.

Perhaps because it concerns the doctrine of the god she believes in.

"One of those pillars is our god Anirofe God, you know~."

At the end of the talk her tone returned.

Probably covering her embarrassment at getting irritated.

"Then there must be many people who worship those first gods."

I had not heard the names of the gods I knew until now so they are probably the other gods created by the progenitor gods Rosina mentioned.

That means the orders of the higher progenitor gods hold sway in this world, I thought commonly but...

Everyone froze with pale faces.

Even Sophia was reacting the same as everyone.

"Did I... say something strange?"

Not understanding why everyone reacted that way I asked.

"W-well... first, do you know this is the Human World?"

Rosina asked slowly as if teaching a child.

But...

"I don’t know."

Everyone except Sophia flopped onto the table.

"We call it the Material World. According to Yanica the monsters call it the Anti-Demon World. You don’t know either?"

"I don’t know."

When I answered tilting my head this time they let out relieved sighs.

"A-ano ne~. Etto~. This is the world where humans live so it is the Human World~."

Rosina explained looking about to cry.

"And the one who created this Human World is Poroa-sama. Then the Demon World where monsters and demonic beasts that threaten our world live was created by Misterua and Heteka. And..."

"The one who created the Spirit World is Potyun-sama."

Sophia arbitrarily took over the explanation midway through Rosina’s talk.

But she did not show irritation there, rather it seemed she had expected it.

She advanced the talk as if it were natural.

"Then the one who created the Netherworld which is the world after death is Hasude."

I see.

But...

"That’s only four, what about the other two? There were no legs I think."

I asked Rosina.

"That’s it~. The child gods of Poroa God who lived on the right arm created the Human World on the right leg~. And Misterua and Heteka who lived on the left hand imitated that and created the Demon World on the left leg~."

Rosina returned her tone and explained to me.

Sophia was fidgeting as if she wanted to interrupt but in the end she did not.

"Is that the history Rosina was teaching?"

"That’s right~. Because I am a priestess I have to talk about the mythological age~. After that is a scholar’s job~."

When I confirmed Rosina answered that.

Well, certainly.

I also want to know the history after that and stories of Rosina and the others’ travels but later is fine.

The Dules continued chatting noisily after that and dinner progressed.