Chapter 610

Debut Party (19)
My conversation with Teysa and the others wrapped up, and at last, it was time for the dance.
Alright then—time to get ready and step onto the stage.

The stage itself was… well, something that looked the part—a proper wooden one I’d had made.
It was a custom design, built so it could be quickly assembled right after the presentation ended.
… Will we even use this again?
No, probably not. Just this once.
Thinking about stuff like that really shows I haven’t shaken off my commoner mindset yet.
But still—it feels wasteful.

“What’s the matter, Lily? You’re just standing there spacing out.”

“Ah, sorry. I was just wondering if this stage will only be used this once.”

“It won’t be for any festival rites, will it? So yes, most likely once and done. More importantly, it’s time.”

“Understood. Please handle the security around the area.”

“Mm. …Though with that Kiblinki Saltas waiting up on the ceiling, I doubt any fool would try to pull something by force at this point.”

… Yeah, true enough.
Alright, focus. I need to concentrate on the dance.
Still, this dance is originally meant to be offered to a god, isn’t it?
So… who exactly am I offering it to?
Talat’s here—maybe the Spider God?

(Lily, what’s wrong?)

“Talat, does your kind have a god or something?”

(You mean us Silks Spiders? Never heard of one.)

“Yeah, figured. Never mind then.”

(You’re acting weird.)

Do monsters even worship gods in the first place?
After all, monsters in this world come endlessly from that place called the “Chaos Vortex.”
Hmm… this is actually kind of interesting.

No, focus! What I need to do right now is make sure this dance goes perfectly.
Concentrate, concentrate.

○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●

○●○●Plum

Hmm, looks like the dance began without issue.
The musicians are playing their accompaniment smoothly as well.
If things keep on like this, there should be no problems.
We’ll focus on keeping watch—hm?

“What’s wrong, Fanny? You’ve got quite the grim look.”

“It’s just… this dance—it’s something offered to a god, correct?”

“That’s what I’ve heard, yes. But what of it?”

“When you have a large audience, divine music being played, a sanctified stage, and a dancer wearing special garments… that’s the exact setup of a ritual meant to summon a god.”

“… Hmm? You’re saying a god can just appear that easily?”

“It depends. Normally, no—they don’t. Manifestations happen when disasters are about to occur. Apart from that…”

“Apart from that, what?”

“If the one dancing to summon the god happens to be the god’s chosen oracle.”

“… No, surely not?”

“Lady Lily met Talat and made it this far. Meeting a Large Silk Spider within a human settlement—that’s too much of a coincidence. I believe there was some sort of higher intent behind it.”

“You mean… a god’s?”

“Yes. And there’s something off about the clothing Lady Lily usually wears. Fabric tougher than armor—if that’s divine gear, it all makes sense. Her spear and shield too—no ordinary craftsman could make those.”

…N gh. That’s true.
Now that she’s said it aloud, I can’t deny it—there are a lot of odd things about Lily’s equipment.
Even the whip she gave me, and all her other gear—it gets dirty, sure, but I’ve never once seen it scratched.
She can use “Self-Repair” enchantments freely now, but even so, items with that enchantment should still get damaged temporarily before recovering.
Yet hers never did. What is that equipment of hers?

“Fanny… should we stop her?”

“No. It’s too late already.”

“What?”

“The divine energy is rising. A god is about to manifest!”

Blast it all!
That girl!
As if the prince’s antics weren’t enough, she’s gone and dropped one last bombshell right at the end!
If it comes to it, I’ll fight alongside Talat—but there’s no way I can guarantee the guests’ safety!

What do you think about this chapter?