Chapter 572 Intermission: Six Kings Festival ~ ~ The Agony of a Certain Demon Part 2 ~ ~
On the last day of the Six Kings Festival, Elise, a high-ranking Demon, set up a small store in a very crowded corner of the venue and was pondering to herself.
Her fortune-telling store had been fairly popular for the past six days, and thanks to that, she was able to gain permission to open her store on the last day of the festival.
(As for trouble…… I’ve experienced quite a lot of them. I mean, my nerves are already frayed. I mean, isn’t all of it that human’s fault!? What the heck is with that human!? Death King-sama, World King-sama, I don’t know the names of that Human noble, but she’s obviously on the level of a Count-level High-ranking Demon…… and yesterday, he brought Underworld King with him here…… He’s too much of a monster.)
Yes, that was the reason why her store was very popular throughout the six days. That’s because Kaito was asked by her lovers multiple times to bring them to this place.
Thanks to this, rumors about this store spread around the people and she was able to make quite a sum of money, but Elise, whose train of thought used to be normal, was exhausted.
(……In the end, all the rumors about that human were true, weren’t they? Hmmm, but well, thanks to him, I made more money than my original goal. Now, maybe I’ll be able to own that store “in the Human Realm that I long for”.)
She has a small fortune-telling store in the Demon Realm, but she had been wanting to launch her business in the Human Realm. This is because the Demon Realm basically has few big cities. Because of the variety of species living in the Demon Realm, most of the towns are either small to medium-sized ones, and the store Elise had was in a small town.
That’s why the Royal Capital of the Human Realm, which had excellent facilities as a city, which makes it a place small store owners living in the Demon Realm longs for. Elise, who had accumulated the funds to buy a small plot of land there, continued to ponder with a smile on her face.
(Now then, the question is which country’s land should I buy…… In terms of the size of Royal Capital, the Archlesia Empire is the largest, and that country is putting a lot of effort into subsidizing private stores, so setting up my store there would be profitable. But hmmm…… I don’t really like the cold weather, so I would have to consider it.)
Since the Archlesia Empire is located in the northern part of the Human Realm, the winters are quite cold and it often snows. They even have special products to survive in their climate.
(The Hydra King is a lively place for commoners, and there are many opportunities for advancement…… But that country is quite innovative and their trends quickly change, so I’m not sure if I would be able to keep up with them.)
The Hydra Kingdom is a country with a lot of cutting-edge aspects in their life, including their politics, and their trends change very quickly. And just by the fact that they’re called Hydra of Clothing, their fashion trends especially change on a yearly basis.
To succeed in such a Hydra Kingdom, it would be better for one to be trendy but…… Elise wasn’t really a trend follower.
(In that case, the Symphonia Kingdom is my best choice. The climate is stable all year round, and their food is delicious. It’s a nice country with lots of tourist attractions. It’s a bit too nature-y for me, and Flying Dragons Services were used a lot in that place, so the transportation cost would be expensive……)
Imagining her life in the Royal Capital she had been yearning for, a happy smile appeared on Elise’s lips…… but that smiled immediately froze.
(……So you’ve come again, Human-san. You’ve been here almost every day. You’ve totally become a regular. Haahhh…… Who did he bring with him this…… time……)
Noticing the arrival of Kaito that she had become familiar with, Elise moved her gaze forward, wondering which outrageous person he had brought this time, and her face turned pale.
(……A…… Abababa, G- G- G- God of Creation-sama!? H- Hey, Human-san!? What kind of person did you think you’re bringing with you!? Please stop! Don’t come here! Please don’t bring her to me…… She isn’t the kind of person an insignificant Demon like me should be dealing with!)
She desperately shouted to Kaito who was coming towards her with Shallow Vernal in her mind but…… It was all in vain, as Kaito and Shallow Vernal arrived in front of Elise’s store.
[……Errr, please read our compatibility with each other.]
[……Yesh.]
Hearing Kaito apologetically tell her this, Elise nodded, looking like she’s about to cry.
(Awawawawa, this aura…… Her Godly Aura!? I feel like my body is going to shatter just by looking at it…… S- So she’s God of Creation-sama…… T- This is the first time I’ve seen her this close. I mean, this is that, right? I hope that this isn’t the case, but this is where I die when a bad result appears, right?)
As she was thinking about this, Elise shuffled the cards she was going to use for divination while moving her gaze.
Chronois, the God of Time and Space, is sitting on the roof of a building quite a distance away, looking at them with her arms crossed. Fate, the God of Fate, looking as if she was lazily slouching on her cushion floating in the air, but her eyes were sharply looking at Elise. Life, the God of Life, was peeking out from the shadows with an intimidating smile on her face.
(……Ahh, I’m totally dying here. This is where I would be instantly turned into minced meat if I get a bad result. I certainly like eating minced meat, but I don’t want to become one……)
In the face of what could be called the pinnacle of this world, Elise shivered, but did not despair. Ironic it may be, it was actually because of the presence of Kaito in this place.
(I- It’s alright. This human’s luck is on crazy levels. He had always been drawing four hearts, so if he drew them again this time, everything would end peacefully.)
The compatibility reading done by Elise is something made for the public, and is relatively easy to get good results from. In particular, if either the man or the woman draws four hearts in a row, it will be set up as the best match, so it would be better if either Kaito or Shallow Vernal draws four hearts in a row.
Under normal circumstances, the probability of drawing the same four cards in a row from a 28-card deck with 7 types of cards is not high. However, Kaito had always been drawing four hearts from the second day of the Six Kings Festival until now.
That is why Elise had not lost hope.
[W- W- W- Well then, God of Creation-sama…… P- P- P- Please draw four cards.]
[…………………]
Hearing Elise’s words, Shallow Vernal beautifully drew four cards from the deck of cards…… and they were all hearts.
(A- As expected of God of Creation-sama! With her four hearts in a row, it will be the best result no matter what Human-san draws! Thank goodness…… my life is spared. Now, all that’s left is for Human-san to draw his cards……)
Relieved that her life wasn’t in danger anymore, Elise urged Kaito to draw his cards. And the cards that Kaito drew were…… “Four hearts”.
(Hwoeehhh!? H- How the heck did he pull out hearts again!? I’m pretty sure there should have been only four hearts in the deck…… Eh? Did I mix up this deck with my spare cards?)
Elise is stunned by the sight of eight heart cards being drawn in a deck that should only have four, but she straightened up when she noticed Shallow Vernal’s gaze.
In any case, according to her fortune-telling, having four hearts in a row is the best result.
[I- It’s the best match!]
[I see…… Let me ask you something.]
[Yesh!?]
[Which is better, this result or “four suns and four hearts”?]
Shallow Vernal asks in her usual intonationless voice to Elise, who was clearly being shrunk back by Shallow Vernal’s presence.
(T- This is the first time I’ve heard God of Creation-sama’s voice before! H- How beautiful…… wait, stop thinking about that! Errr, four suns and four hearts…… four hearts in a row makes it the greatest compatibility, while four suns in a row makes it the second best compatibility…… Assuming that four hearts is the best match, in a sense, wouldn’t that mean that having it drawn twice makes it the best?)
Incidentally, the four suns and four hearts were the results of the compatibility fortune-telling that Kuromueina and Kaito had done the day before, but Elise, who was greatly panicking at the moment, did not notice this.
(H- Hmmm…… In the first place, there should have only been four cards of the same type in my deck, so there’s no way that one should be able to draw eight hearts or anything like that. This might be an irregularity…… but since the two of them drew the best compatibility……)
Elise pondered for a moment before she spoke somewhat anxiously.
[……Errr, I guess…… the one with eight hearts would be better?]
[………………….]
As Elise timidly told this to her, Shallow Vernal didn’t say anything.
(W- What’s going on? Is my answer a hit or a miss? Did I give the wrong answer? I- I can’t tell anything from her expression……)
As Elise remained silent, profusely sweating like a prisoner waiting for her sentence, Shallow Vernal was silent for a while before she spoke.
[……God of Time and Space.]
[Hahh! By your command.]
[This is a wonderful store. I think that this store “should be great in the Capital of the Symphonia Kingdom”.]
[As Shallow Vernal-sama’s wills it.]
Hearing Shallow Vernal’s nonchalant words, Chronois deeply bowed and disappeared.
After the completion of the Six Kings Festival…… Elise is visited by a messenger from the King of Symphonia, and she was asked to “open up her store in the Royal Capital”, though it’s more of a story for the near future……
As Elise had set up her store in the capital of the Symphonia Kingdom, it was only after she had lived in that place for a while that she despaired when she found out that Kaito lived rather close to her……
And…… She had somewhat liked Kaito’s personality, looking forward to his visits a bit more…… though it’s a story for another time.
<Afterword>
~ ~ A Brief Introduction to a Mob Character ~ ~
Elise (523 years old)
She is recognized as a High-ranking demon due to her magic power, but she is not very good at fighting. She is good at making magic tools and divination.
She is an ordinary demon who yearns for the Capital City of the Human Realm.
She has some interactions with a store that is a subcontractor of the Seditch Magic Tools Trading Company, so she has a slight connection with the Seditch Magic Tools Trading Company.
She wasn’t that lucky of a child, but after meeting Kaito, her slight connections became wider, she gained a certain reputation from the Six Kings and the Supreme Gods, and she had received the True Blessing of the God of Commerce through the kindness of the God of Creation.
She is short in stature, but she is relatively well-stacked.
? ? ? : [Serious-senpai, the Afterword Idol Heroine.]
Serious-senpai : [Oiiiii!? Don’t just mix up my name with the introduction to that mob! I’m a main character!!!]
? ? ? : [……You’ve never made an entrance in the main story though.]
Serious-senpai : [Ghaak……]
T/N: 12/181