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Chapter: 273

Time just keeps flowing.

Over the decades, Arthur, now an emperor, still governed the land while looking as young as ever.

I wish he’d stopped sneaking off to that little house he made in the garden when he was done with state affairs!

But, if you ignore that odd habit, he’s a pretty good emperor managing the country well.

His downside? He doesn’t bring in an empress.

Even after so many years, if his determination hasn’t changed, then noblemen who tried to make their daughters empress faced execution or were forced to commit suicide once Arthur caught wind of their schemes.

But let’s skip over the rumors about the only woman Arthur loved. Yep.

It seems the officials realized they were out of luck when it came to expecting a successor from Arthur, so they started trying to hook him up with the royal collateral.

Of course, with Arthur’s uncle as a precedent, these weren’t official ties, just some private meetups.

Arthur’s officials must have quite the hard time… let’s just say I’ll move on from that thought.

Next up is Vivi, the Dragon Priestess.

Over the decades, Vivi worked hard in her role as the Dragon Priestess.

She organized the Church of Life, helped the common folk, exercised her influence, and occasionally reined in the sometimes rowdy Church of Life.

Due to a chance event, Vivi ended up meeting a good man.

After ten years of fervent affection from a young child she helped during a charitable activity, love blossomed.

But Vivi, being the Dragon Priestess, the only one to hear the Goddess of Life’s voice, thought she couldn’t pursue love in her position…

After a consultation with me, she decided to step down as the Dragon Priestess.

Of course, there was chaos in the Church of Life… but hey, it somehow got sorted out, so I guess that’s good!

With support from Arthur, Vivi’s brother, her strong will, and the revelations I sent her way… Vivi stepped down from her role and began living as an ordinary human.

Plus, since her lover… who became her husband liked her more as the Vivi who could be by his side than as the Dragon Priestess, she ended up living a happy life.

That’s how the story of Vivi and her husband goes. Even though she’s no longer a Dragon Priestess, she’s the emperor’s sister, so she can live just fine without lacking anything. She’ll manage well enough.

There was a bit of a fight when Arthur unilaterally crown Vivi’s son as the prince, but… oh well, that’s minor family drama.

Thanks to that, those trying to establish connections in the royal branch, who might become the next emperor, got a taste of bitterness, but who cares.

With that, I blessed Vivi’s son specifically, so he should grow up healthily.

Now, let’s turn to the Lizardman.

Thanks to deals with water spirits, Lizardmen started expanding their reach little by little.

Now free from the humid environment, Lizardman merchants who could travel were beginning to exist.

Some settled in appropriate locations like riverbanks and started making a life, leading to Lizardmen who previously only stayed in swamps gradually spreading out.

Consequently, rumors about Lizardmen started trickling out to common folks, aside from those searching for them for trade or those knowledgeable about other races.

Sure, their appearance is totally different from existing races, which spurred some resistance, but their strength and physical might earned them respect from others.

Any ordinary monster wouldn’t stand a chance against them, and if you see their raw physical power, who wouldn’t respect that?

Fortunately, the Lizardmen’s nature is generally kind. Yep.

Anyway, that’s how Lizardmen began to spread out into the world.

So, what should I explain next?

Beastmen? They’re doing just fine on their own. Racial differences naturally lead to clashes, but as long as it’s moderate, they tend to overlook it. Just like Beastmen, who are all over the place, so they take any skirmishes in stride.

Now feels a bit late for any species-related issues to arise.

Giants are just being giants, and Mermaids still haven’t reached the far seas with their navigation skills, so there’s been no contact.

Alright, this should be enough… can I just fall asleep now? Is it really okay for me to do so?

The gods haven’t caused any significant trouble lately, and it seems monsters aren’t causing big problems either, with Goblins taken care of by kids living on the land. The worst they’re dealing with is a stray Orc or two.

So, it’s really fine for me to take a break, right? Right?! Some deities have asked for more functions to be added to LD, so I’m making gradual improvements, but the angels like Sandalphon keep coming by the temple, and I sometimes have to scold and drag out Asheryt, who’s LD-addicted!

Seriously, it’s okay for me to take a break?!

I’ve had thoughts like that… too.

“Mother! Please lend me your wisdom!”

“Yeah. Mom. Help.”

What interrupted my rest were… Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha.

Oh no, what now? Does their arrival mean there’s an issue involving Elves and Dwarves? What kind of mess have those two races cooked up now?

“What’s going on?”

I suppressed an odd irritation stemming from my interrupted relaxation and looked at the two.

“How can I help my children thrive in this vast world?”

“Dwarves. I want to gradually help them become independent. Help.”

These two kids come to me with similar yet oddly distinct stories.

Yggdrasil wants to help Elves thrive, while Sagarmatha wants to grant independence to Dwarves.

What a troublesome pair they are.

“The Elven children don’t want to leave the forest surrounding me. Sure, I manage the forest’s environment, so the Elves aren’t starving…

But there are limits to the resources I can provide from the forest. Moreover, the kids treat trees like my own body and don’t want to cut them down.

How can I help those children live well outside the forest?”

“Dwarves. Just keep digging down the mountain. They won’t go anywhere else. It’s troubling. There are so many mountains in this world.”

In conclusion, both want their children to explore the world.

Well, aside from a few special races and those running around in Betelgeuse, Elves and Dwarves don’t travel much.

Let’s say they’re like hikikomori, locked up at home and not stepping outside even once.

“In the end, you want your children to spread out into the world.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Yeah. I hope so.”

At the words of the two, I nodded slightly.

Independence. To have your children grow up and become independent should be a reason to celebrate and also a bittersweet matter.

Are these two kids ready to accept that?

Well, coming to me at this point to ask for help means they’ve probably thought about it to some extent.

But…

“I think I can only offer simple consultation as help.”

There are matters regarding the races they care for where I shouldn’t intervene directly.

What I can provide is ultimately just consultation. I’ll share stories that might help those kids.

“That’s enough. Mother has knowledge we don’t have.”

“Yeah. No objections.”

Even to my statement, both kids assured me they’d gladly accept.

Well. If they trust me this much, I can set aside some time for consultation instead of resting.

Let’s see. Their requests vary a bit in intent, but their goals align.

They want Elves and Dwarves to spread more into the world.

If it’s just about achieving that goal, it’s straightforward enough.

“If you both command the two races, it will be easily accomplished.”

Elves and Dwarves are obedient to their tribal gods.

Yggdrasil has taken care of Elven ancestors since ancient times, and Sagarmatha, having gotten mad at Dwarven ancestors digging into him, eventually embraced them.

The influence these two have over their races is absolute.

Just giving them orders would be sufficient.

“Hmm… But that feels a bit like I’m shoving them out… What I’d like is for the kids to step out from under my shadow on their own.”

“I also don’t like breaking my image as a quiet deity.”

Honestly, I think Sagarmatha’s already quite quiet.

But to dislike the easiest method? Such troublesome kids.

“Is there any other way? A method that wouldn’t make it feel like I’m the one pushing them out?”

“Please, Mother.”

The gaze of both kids! A critical hit to this mother’s heart!

Well, they may look like adults on the outside, but when they ask like this, I weaken, really.

“Hmm… Then…”

They don’t want to directly tell the children being cared for. But they want to send each race off to new lands. Managing to do both is no walk in the park. Ugh.

If I can’t speak directly, then maybe I can help them leave of their own accord. But having them just leave means meddling with their free will…

Here, should I use the modified LD…?

 

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